Why Is Homework Harmful Argumentative Essay
As student's lives outside of school become more time-consuming, and the homework load grows, some people have suggested that teachers should stop assigning homework. They believe that homework does more harm than good.
One of the reasons homework is harmful is it takes time away from activities outside of school. After sitting in a classroom for around 7 hours, many students want to hang out with friends, participate in a club, or play sports. According to an article from Healthline “Is Too Much Homework Bad for Kids’ Health?” By Sandra Levy “Students were more likely to forgo activities, stop seeing friends or family, and not participate in hobbies. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.” (Levy). This evidence shows that students are having to spend more time on homework rather than time on things they enjoy. Making school their main priority which does not allow them to spend time on activities outside of school.
Additionally homework is harmful, because it is not proven to help students improve their knowledge of a topic. In some cases, homework can lead to students feeling unmotivated causing them to complete the assignment just to get it out of the way. According to an “EdWeek” article by Alfie Kohn writes that he found “No correlation between homework and improved standardized assessment scores.” (Kohn). In another article, Alfie Kohn explains “Fourth graders who did no homework got roughly the same score as those who did 30 minutes a night. Remarkably, the scores then declined for those who did 45 minutes, then declined again for those who did an hour or more!” (Kohn). These pieces of evidence prove that even if a student does all of their homework that is required, it does not mean that they will retain the information better. It also shows that their test scores or grades won't improve. On some occasions homework can even decrease test scores and lower a student's grade.
Finally the most important reason why homework is harmful is it can negatively affect a student's mental and physical health. Students are under a lot of pressure and stress especially now during a global pandemic. While it might not seem like it to an outsider looking in, many students are struggling to keep up with school work. According to a study by Stanford University done before the pandemic “56 percent of students considered homework a primary source of stress. Too much homework can result in lack of sleep, headaches, exhaustion and weight loss.” (Oxford Learning). This example provides information that links homework to negative health impacts that can affect students in the long run.
Some people may argue that homework allows teachers and parents to track individual progress. However many studies have proven that homework can unmotivate students, this can cause them not to complete the homework or not complete it to the best of their ability. This can lead to students relying on parents or other students' help with homework which could affect their scores. Because of this homework is not a reliable source to track a student's progress.
In conclusion, homework is harmful, because it takes away time from extracurricular activities, it has limited to no benefits when it comes to improving knowledge of a topic, and it can negatively affect student's health. Therefore, we should eliminate homework from our daily routines and allow students to enjoy life outside of school.
