Assignments start to pile up, seemingly endless. It’s been days since you’ve spent more than half an hour with your family, and tonight, you haven’t had time to do anything but homework.

Homework is designed to familiarize students with new material, allowing them to practice skills or memorize information until they can utilize it comfortably. There have even been studies that show homework benefits students; however, when students become overwhelmed with schoolwork, it clearly does the opposite of what is intended.

The National Education Association suggests that students should receive 10 minutes of homework per grade, but the average student – excluding students in daily courses, honor courses or college courses – spends 3½ or more hours of homework per night. If teachers were to actually follow this suggestion, a senior in high school should have about 120 minutes each night. As a sophomore, I often lose my evenings to double the amount, which is ridiculous. 

Some teenagers, especially those who may be involved in sports, school activities and clubs or an extracurricular activity, easily find themselves staying up until early morning just to complete their assignments. The same students get ridiculed for falling asleep in math class, being told that they should’ve gone to bed earlier.

I’m sure they would have if they’d had the choice.

There are a handful of adults who always complain about people my age rarely speaking face to face anymore. The kicker is that we would go out, if only we weren’t occupied with homework.

From a student perspective, it seems as though certain teachers forget that there is homework from other classes, leading to overlapping due dates and the feeling of being pressured and overwhelmed. There is always someone who argues that life is always stressful, especially in the workplace, but a job is a single obligation, not eight different ones.

Students who are under stress may have a hard time focusing in class, and may be more inclined to neglect either their schoolwork or themselves. Excess homework, especially via electronics, can cause eye strain and mental fatigue. 

Motivated students aren’t staring at their phones — they’re staring at computer screens. 

Homework is also a factor that prevents students from getting exercise or simply spending time getting fresh air. It eats up our time, and that’s why you don’t see kids outside anymore.

Lastly, an overload of homework from a specific subject can be similar to too little homework. Students no longer focus on the material or put in their best work. Those who are struggling may learn something incorrectly simply because they’ve been going through the incorrect motions for too long. 

We’re not asking for homework to be abolished. We’re asking for an appropriate amount. The real reason we students groan at the assignment of homework isn’t necessarily because we’re lazy.

It’s because we’re fatigued.