Derek Gladstone Homework Revolution It is commonly known that homework has never found a place in the heart of all

students. Anecdotal information from my peers suggest that the work given almost daily does not achieve desired results. In fact, it is evident that homework even has negative consequences. Personally, I have lost tons of hours of sleep struggling to finish all my assignments. This would often result in me putting less effort on homework so I could have just one decent rest for the week, which would ultimately kill my grades. This problem typically arises during the years of high school, and the main cause originates from the advanced placement/honor classes. In my case, junior year was the start of this just with the addition of three AP classes to my schedule, creating a humongous increase in the amount of homework nightly. An overwhelming amount of assignments, which even piles up to over three hours at times, can directly lead to a lack of sleep, a loss of interest in the studied subject, and a neglect of other responsibilities. As mentioned previously, too much homework causes less sleep, which is extremely detrimental to a teens growth. In a study on the impact of school schedule on adolescent sleep, sixty high school students kept sleep diaries throughout the school year. The results of the study indicated that the students lost as much as 120 minutes of sleep per night during the school week (Hansen). Adolescence is a very crucial period in which the brain is still developing, and a lack of sleep leads to a major degradation of the brain. In addition, losing sleep affects a students ability at school as well. According to the National Sleep Foundation, students need about eight and a half to nine and a quarter hours of sleep each night. Not getting the recommended hours of sleep can restrict ones ability to learn and solve problems... (Sung). It is of utmost importance that students have enough time for rest in order to grow healthily as well as stay alert in class. Another issue caused by excessive homework is losing interest in ones studies. Alex Tu, a student at Fountain Valley High School, found that she learned much more in her regular U.S. History class than in her advanced class because she was not constantly overwhelmed with work. According to Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, there is no study that has ever found a correlation between homework and academic achievement in elementary school, and there is little reason to believe that homework is necessary in high school. In fact, it may even diminish interest in learning. When students are assigned too much homework, they tend to rush through it without much thought. Instead of assigning work that is merely time consuming and useless, teachers should only assign work that is necessary for efficient practice, and that would be just the beginning! Homework must not only reinforce information learned, but also add on interest of the subject for the students motivation. People work harder and learn more effectively when it is something they could at least moderately care about, but if tedious work is given, then naturally, they end up hating it. Abundant homework also leads to a neglect of other responsibilities. Obviously, not all students spend their whole day working, but instead, on other unproductive activities such as texting or surfing the Internet. As much as I agree that teenagers should control the amount of time so as not to do this excessively, it is hardly any justification for assigning a lot of homework. A teenager, nor anyone for that matter, can not be expected to come home and immediately start working after already spending the whole day at school. Everyone has other priorities, whether it be extracurricular activities, spending time with friends, or a family dinner, and homework certainly can not be the reason for the loss of a students social life. As beneficial as homework may be, these other significant and normal parts of life cannot be set aside. I myself have had to prioritize between spending quality time with family, hanging out with

Derek Gladstone friends, and dedicating many, many hours to band practice after school each day, just like most other people with their priorities, so I very well know how important it is to have a balance instead of the pile of assignments that so often greatly tips the scale. Some may say that it is the students own fault for making a heavy schedule, such as the majority of persevering students. Of course we know how much stress we get ourselves into. Even so, we have no choice. We want to succeed and achieve promising futures by making it into the best colleges, but this is not possible when these colleges have such crazy requirements. Without getting the best education, we would not be able to lead greatly as workers of the future. Therefore, unless requirements were relaxed or a smarter system was created (which would be an even better solution), students will continue spiraling down overwhelmed with homework to meet the status quo. Homework, the stereotypical element of every students education that we initially assume to be beneficial, has been brought to the light. If this homework system continues this way, students, one by one, will continue to suffer from the grim loss of sleep, continue to lose passion and motivation for their classes, and continue to hurt their other priorities. As the future generations, we must re-evaluate the quality of homework, and create a new system that is more effective in enhancing our knowledge and motivation. We must modernize the educational value of our studies that will better prepare the student body. Together, we must revolutionize homework!

Derek Gladstone Works Cited Kohn, Alfie. "Rethinking Homework." Alfie Kohn Homepage. Jan. 2007. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. <http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/rethinkinghomework.htm>. Hansen, Martha, Imke Janssen, Adam Schiff, Phyllis C. Zee, and Margarita L. Dubocovich. "The Impact of School Daily Schedule on Adolescent Sleep -- Hansen Et Al. 115 (6): 1555 -Pediatrics." Pediatrics | Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 1 June 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/115/6/1555>. Sung, Audrey. "Sleep Deprivation Issue among Teens." The Academy Times. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://cwablogs.org/blogs/at/?p=528>.