Given that we do attend a College Preparatory it is expected that we receive large workloads, but when is the work too much?

I cannot even remember the last time I was able to sit down and read a book. Not a book that was assigned to me to read by a teacher, but a book that I wanted to read because it interested me.

It seems reasonable for a teacher to assign about a half-hour of homework a night to their class, but when each teacher is giving their class a half-hour of homework that adds up to about 3 1/2 hours a night or more.

Not only do students have a limited amount of free time, but they have a large amount of things to complete in a very short amount of time: seniors are struggling to create essays that stand out to college admissions counselors, juniors are dealing with what is expected to be the most overwhelming year of their high school experience, sophomores are getting used to a heavier workload and freshmen are just trying to get accustomed to their new high school.

With homework, sports, work, and other extracurricular activities students no longer make time for themselves to relax, but overwhelm themselves with activities. Due to everything they need to accomplish they have less time to do the things that they want to do and instead have to eliminate social or relaxation time in an attempt to complete all of their required activities that have been assigned to them.

When students are so overwhelmed with homework it is hard for them to attend school events without being stressed out. If they go to the volleyball game or the soccer game they will be thinking about how late they will be up working on that night’s homework for the duration of the game. Often times students avoid attending said events because they are so stressed out with the amount of things they have put on their plate. These events (dances, sports, socializing) should be a part of a student’s high school experience, and students should not have to choose between making memories and doing homework.

Similarly, when a student does choose a school event over their schoolwork, by the time they get home they have no desire to actually do their work to the best of their ability. Students will start work late with one goal, to finish. This does not enhance the knowledge of the student but instead teaches them that they should be focused not on bettering their understanding of the material but completing an assignment to receive a passing grade.

As a college prep school, we are held at a higher standard, but we are also still kids. We should be able to find a balance between homework and our social lives. Students should not be expected to spend all of their time doing academic things without allowing time to throw in a few fun things as well.