Should Homework be Optional?

Completing the various homework assignments, one has to do can be overwhelming for students. As a result, I wonder if homework assignments are essential. Are homework assignments worth the stress students have to deal with? Can this stress be avoided by skipping homework assignments and having all work done at school? 

Freshman Ayushi Patel said, “In my opinion, homework can stress students more than they already are with studying and extracurricular activities.” Because of Patel’s statement, one can conclude how homework detriments one’s mental health. Having a ton of homeworking is not only harmful to one’s mental health, but it could lead students to have a lack of sleep, which will cause them to be unable to focus and absorb the material they are learning in school. Patel states, “A lack of sleep will worsen students’ performances in school and will worsen students’ mental health.” One can conclude that homework should be optional because of homework detriments students’ mental health. 

Although homework harms students’ mental health, homework can be beneficial. Homework is beneficial as it helps kids to solidify their understanding of the topics they learn in class. Homework will successfully teach time management as well as study tactics to students. It will also help students understand the material they learn in class, allowing them to do better. Freshman Sukhmani Marwaha said, “Homework is beneficial for students to go more in-depth into the material they learned in class. Sometimes, students don’t understand what is happening in class, and doing the homework can help them catch up with the class.” As one can conclude, homework does have many benefits despite its negatives. 

Homework is a chore we all have to do, so in the end, we better ourselves. We never like our chores, yet our houses will be empty if we don’t do them. Likewise, we never like our homework, and if we never complete our homework, then our brains will be empty.