The argument on why is homework is bad and should be banned attracts many contrasting views.
Individuals who are pro-homework will start the argument by touting the advantages of doing homework where they will declare how homework is beneficial to students. They will tout the advantages of doing homework in improving student grades or even increasing college acceptance rates. Likely they will also note that homework leads to more discipline and responsibility among students.
When you stand your ground, the argument will likely degenerate: they will begin to say that today’s students are lazy, coddled, and inept. They will say it is a generational problem predominantly found in the Gen Z generation who want more than they work for.
Below we discuss your counter-argument. Here are top answers for why homework should be banned.
Top reasons why homework should be banned
Academic burnout is caused by homework
We understand the benefits of homework. But when students receive homework from more than one teacher on the same day, how are students supposed to manage their completion? Why? If students do not complete assigned homework when they are given, the homework will likely pile up. If procrastination is not the solution then students have to engage for several hours each day to complete their homework resulting in academic burnout.
Students lose their power to learn
It is quite unfair for teachers to overburden students with too much homework where students receive homework from multiple teachers and all of them have to be completed. Rather than labor for countless hours each night doing homework, students resort to seeking help from their guardians and siblings. Without such help, students cannot be able to complete homework but with the help, the benefits of doing homework are withdrawn. When students receive help, their power to self-learn, build curiosity, and memory retention becomes nullified.
Students become bored
Given the option to spend time between gaming, playing sports, pursuing hobbies and interests, chatting with friends, or doing homework, very few students will choose to do homework. Homework requires tons of studying and foregoing more fun interests, which is not fun.
To make matters worse, instructors want to challenge their students through assigning them difficult questions. In such circumstances, students face too much burden completing homework that decimates any interest that students might have in doing homework.
Homework is not valuable
In the grand scheme of the multiverse, is homework really important? Multiple research studies have identified the importance of homework in increasing academic achievement and college acceptance rates. Equally, multiple studies link doing homework with no added advantage in the academic achievement of students. The contrasting expert opinions on the impact of homework on academic achievement are proof that homework is not as valuable as teachers promote it.
Some students do not have a home environment that’s conducive to homework
According to research, the benefits of homework are earned when students study for at least 1 hour. For that 1 hour of study to be effective, students have to optimize their study techniques and time management skills. Essentially, it means students are required to have a home environment that allows them to concentrate. Without a conducive environment, students will be unable to complete their homework.
If you have ever needed Aleks final exam answers, you will testify that distractions in the home environment will reduce its conduciveness to do homework. Some distractions are universal and do not depend on class such as sports, hobbies, and building relations. In contrast, some distractions differ depending on class such as poor students who may be distracted by crime, lack of food, and lack of utilities.
Regardless of the nature of distractions, they will limit the ability of a student to do homework that will breed inequality of outcome depending on the conduciveness of home environment. Teachers should develop a work around about homework to ensure that each students can be able to get the best learning while at school.
Students' social lives are affected by their homework
If only students were not receiving too much homework, they would have time on their hands after completing homework. This is not the case as a majority of students complain they have too much homework. To wade through too much homework, students are expected to allocate several hours towards homework each day that breeds conflict with students’ social lives. Having to choose whether to engage in social activities or do homework is a messed up situation that faces today’s student.
It would encourage dynamic learning opportunities
If homework is illegal, teachers would have to think outside the box on how to compensate for loss of the benefits of homework. One of the best recommended solutions on how to improve learning and academic achievement is encouraging dynamic learning opportunities.
Dynamic learning has been found to increase student interest in learning while also increasing academic achievement. Dynamic learning refers to the use of interactivity and multi-learning models in the classroom.
Banning homework would help students get more sleep
Students should be at school before 7.30 am. When you factor in transportation to school, having break fast, and preparing for school then students should wake up from 6 am to 6.30 am to ensure that they are not late for school.
Studies indicate that most high school students sleep for 7 to 7.25 hours but the recommended sleep duration is 9 to 9.25 hours. As per these recommendations, high school students should be asleep by 9 pm.
Across the United States, classes end at 3 pm, which until 9 pm when students should be asleep is 6 hours. Within these 6 hours, students should engage in extra curricular activities such as sports or school clubs, take a bus home, engage with family and friends, participate in gaming or watching movies, and do homework. Given most students are given too much homework, it is nnt easy to allocate sufficient time to do homework without falling short of the recommended sleep duration.
Homework leads to stress
Homework anxiety from receiving homework is a reality. Homework stress from having too much faces over 50% of students in modern day class rooms. Homework should be banned to eliminate this leading stressor for students.
There is no guarantee of an improved academic outcome
Even with the touted research that indicates that homework is beneficial in improving the academic outcome of students, it is not a guarantee since they is a body of research that points out homework not improving academic outcomes of students. As such, it is not a guarantee that homework is beneficial. Unlike homework that educators are always fawning over, they are multiple educational tools that go ignored but have a bigger impact on the academic outcome of students.