ISFSTUDENTSANDHOMEWORK

By Jamey Snipes '26

As students, we attend school for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week However, when we finally get home from focusing on a variety of subjects intensively we must continue for more hours to come. Homework has always been a disagreement from many different viewpoints, and I wanted to record the opinions of the students on the ISF campus. I decided to interview some students of different grade levels and ask them the same questions about homework and their work-life balance, therefore I could compare the answers I received There were a plethora of different results. In grades 11 and 12 students participate in the IB Diploma Programme which is considered a very rigorous system It is a common belief that IB students have more homework than those in other classes, resulting in them needing to take more time to complete all the work. However, is this true? Those in the IB as well as the younger grades assumed this was correct, yet when I asked each individual student around how long it took them each night to complete their homework, it turns out that this belief is incorrect. Depending on the student, subject, or even the week, no matter what grade you are in Some IB students use around the same amount of time, less, or more time, than those not participating in the program. However, a common claim each student stated was that it took them hours to complete their homework Around 1 to 3 hours was the least amount of time calculated. Considering students have to take so much time out of their day, does that leave them any room to do anything else?

ECAs are fun and enriching to participate in your spare time, but if you don't have any extra time then it can cause more burden than enjoyment Those students who did ECAs or sports after school all said the same thing: it can be stressful to balance both. Worrying about trying to complete your homework that may be due that night and getting home late from your activity often means you don't focus on the present This can lead to students falling ill, becoming tired, anxious, and not being able to focus in class.

Another reason for this is that some teachers assign big projects or tests all during the same week and students are forced to study or complete their tasks with these stressful expectations. Therefore, they aren’t able to put all the effort into the work and can become disappointed in themselves This leads to the question: should there be homework or not?

Thisleadstothe question:shouldtherebe homeworkornot?

There will always be different beliefs on the subject, everyone will have their own opinion and even if you have a certain one now, it may change in the future. It's a heavily debated concept that depends on you and your situation.

Even after all of those responses, the most common answer was yes Students do believe that homework is important because it helps you understand what you have learned, you can learn from your mistakes without it affecting your grade, you can prepare for your future by learning to sit still and building up to a good study habit, and it helps you to remember things that could be on a test in the future. However, some students told me that it feels as though teachers give homework out to teach a whole lesson, which can be confusing since no one is there to answer your questions Those who said yes, around half of them, also wanted homework to only be reduced instead of deserting the idea of it completely.