“Sometimes I feel like I’m just getting homework, and there’s no point in doing it. 40 math problems of what? I feel like I’m doing the same problem over and over again.” Said Senior, Riane Vatcher

However Vatcher is not alone. Many other high school students find themselves drowning in homework that studies say isn’t helpful.

According to a recent survey  conducted by the University of Phoenix College of Education, the average high school student receives 17.5 hours of homework a week.

I decided to investigate whether not doing all my homework one night would actually be beneficial to myself as a student or not.

It was a thursday night, and I had been assigned 32 math problems, textbook work for AP Microeconomics, study for a spanish test, and work on my project for Marine Biology.

Instead I did 16 math problems, half of my textbook for Micro, spent 15 minutes studying for Spanish, and briefly looked over my presentation for Marine Biology. Many may think that this a move a slacking student would pull, but in fact my outcome was very unexpected.

I found with fewer math problems I was actually able to understand the concepts better without making the silly errors I make after doing so many problems.

By cutting down my AP Micro work, I was left with more study time for Spanish, and time to briefly look over  my Marine Biology presentation.

With less homework, I found myself going to bed much earlier than usual. I woke up the next day, well rested and not half asleep in all my classes.

According to an organization, called “Sleep Foundation”, teens need 8-10 hours of sleep each night to function at their best. However in a study only 15% reported sleeping 8 ½ hours on a school night.

Too much homework can cause stress in a student and lead to health issues in the body and the mind. Homework related anxiety and stress can affect a student’s high school experience very negatively. Stress can cause lack of sleep, slipping grades, fatigue, unhealthy eating habits, and depression, which lead to an unhappy student.

With less time being spent doing my homework, I found myself doing things that made me me happy, which reduced my stress levels. I even had time to clean my room, and I actually was able to find my clothes the next morning to get ready.

Another factor that greatly disrupts the homework process is after school activities.

As reported by a group of professors from Stanford, and Villanova, who have been collecting data, Twenty hours is the average amount of time per week high school students spend with extra curricular activities. This includes sports, music lessons/ bands, clubs, and many more.

Here at Triton there is abundant amount of extracurricular activities to get involved with, and students are strongly encouraged to get involved.  

Junior Lindsey Gardella, who is involved with several sports and clubs at Triton explains the difficulty of balancing everything.

“They tell you to get involved, but they never give you anytime to do it.  With the amount of homework I receive each night, it can sometimes be hard to balance it all.” Said Gardella

With a couple hours worth of homework, students are left without a good night’s sleep, are overall stressed and unhappy.

If less homework has more of a positive impact on a student’s high school experience, then should Triton consider changing its homework policy?