Students at NAI have had late and stressful  nights over the amount of homework and tests every week. There have been multiple scientific experiments and researchers trying to discover a better way to learn, but since the students think there should be less homework, what are their ideas? I talked to different students around NAI to ask them a list of questions about the homework amount. I asked a variety of people, some with sports after school, some with clubs after school, and some with nothing at all but nonetheless, they are all tired of homework.

  Vivian Lee: Do you think NA should reduce their homework amount? “In general most teachers give out a fair amount of homework but in my opinion it’s more about time management then the amount of homework.”  Students do have the issue of time management and procrastination but there shouldn’t be a pile of homework waiting on their desk after a long day at school to do even more work. School takes up a lot of  time and concentration for six hours out of the day and adding tons of homework will just tire the students more than helping them to learn the information.

Gabi Randiga: How long or late do you stay up doing homework? “Probably like 45 minutes for certain classes, and I usually go to bed around 11 or 12 because of sports” I have met with several students saying that their after school activities take up most of their time and having no time for homework or sleep. A recent study showed that teenagers who did not get enough sleep were more likely to develop insulin resistance, which is the precursor to type 2 diabetes. Students have difficulties with  depression, anxiety, and irritability and they are all associated with insufficient sleep. With less sleep, it is harder to recover from illness and makes the student less aware of their surroundings. The students have a better chance of tripping or bumping into someone in the hall with a low amount of sleep. Sleep is very needed for high school students, especially with their brains still developing.

Katie Rankin: Does homework get in the way of spending time with family and friends? “Yeah, I’m pretty sure the last time I had a family dinner was in the summertime.” After school there is barley anytime to spend time with family or friends. Family time should be a time where the whole family gathers together and grow closer to each other. It is important to spend time with family and develop a strong relationship with them but its hard when the children are constantly busy with homework

Amsu Yallalacheruvu: Does homework help with the class the next day? “Sometimes, It depends on the subject .” Studies show that homework helps with learning and achieving good grades. With a large amount of studying and dedication, the students will reach higher GPAs and good grades. Schools who prepare their students for high school and help them reach success, the students will most likely succeed but if the student is not prepared then everything will feel overwhelming. A poll of high school students in California found that 59% thought they had too much homework. 43% of respondents said that homework was their greatest source of stress, and 82% agreed that they were “often or always stressed by schoolwork.” Homework shouldn’t be causing students large amounts of stress for students especially when it doesn’t relate or help with the class the next day

 Katie Rankin: What ideas do you have to fix or change the problem with homework? “At a different school my friend goes to, they give every kid a study hall no matter what their schedule is, i feel if the school gives everyone a study hall people wouldn’t be as stressed out and maybe adding like thirty minutes to the day could help. Also, they shouldn’t give out like thirty problems a night maybe limit it to ten.” There should be a better system then giving out too much homework but Overall, teachers should reduce homework 

In conclusion, Homework at NAI, and other schools, should be reduced to a reasonable level. Many students have piles of work a night on top of  out of school activities. Some of the people I have interviewed have stayed up from 10-1 am working on school work almost every night and it is extremely difficult to get a good night’s sleep. It is also very hard to spend time with family and friends during the school week and even the weekend.