Back to School Issue: Summer Homework Shouldn’t Exist

Students working hard on summer homework.

In every student’s life, there comes a time when they are burdened with summer homework. Whether it’s a reading or a work packet, no one wants to do it.

After a hefty, homework-filled school year students need those invaluable two months to decompress and reset. Assigning homework unnecessarily shortens the students’ time away from school. I’ve gotten dozens of summer homework assignments during my years in high school, including this past one. Going through the never-ending pages of a book I need to annotate is always a dreary task, causing me stress in a time designated for relaxation.

I think in doing this, teachers are already setting themselves, and their class, up for failure. Forcing students to continue working over the summer, after many already being burned out from the past school year, causes many to lose motivation and come into the school year just as tired and stressed as they were and the end of the previous year.

There’s been a multitude of research done about students’ stress when it comes to homework, and while there is no specific number for all children, in Stanford University News, it states that 56% of students’ primary stress comes from homework. Summer vacation is a time to let go and relax, but with summer homework that’s not possible at all.

On top of that, if anyone needs assistance, a teacher will most likely be unavailable to help guide them until students return to school and by then it’s too late. Without the proper guidance, students may end up with poorly completed work, and have spent hours of their summer time incorrectly reinforcing concepts, ultimately harming their learning.

Even if it’s done correctly, summer homework doesn’t give much benefit to the overall group of students it was assigned to. Teachers don’t understand that over half of the students lack integrity and will either copy from classmates or the internet, rather than do it themselves, so there’s really no benefit in assigning work.

Honestly, if teachers want to waste their time grading copied, unoriginal work that only some students put hours, sweat and tears into, be my guest, but I don’t think it’s fair to force students to participate in their hobby. All summer homework leads to is a burned out, stressed and unmotivated student body, none of which help students learn.

About the Contributors

Yesenia Rosario, News & Features Editor

Yesenia Rosario is a junior at Robinson and the News & Features Editor of Knight Writers. This is her second year on staff and her first year as an editor. Rosario has a deep fondness for the community that journalism has built for her, leading her to return to the staff for a second year. "What brings me back is the community and the work, it’s very great. It’s very easy but fun at the same time," Rosario said. Although busy with her academics, Rosario manages to find time for hobbies; she especially enjoys baking and being with friends. Rosario also appreciates a wide variety of media, particularly the essence of Jordan Peele's movies. Currently, “Coraline” is ranked as one of her favorite movies due to its more dark and irreverent tone. “It's not that I don't lean over any other genres of movies, it's just that I think that thrillers and creepy movies have you on the edge of your seat more, they could be more interesting," Rosario said. "More can be done with a lesser timeframe, rather than like two-hour movies, and though they're good, they're pretty lengthy, so I think that horror and thriller movies have so much content in a short amount of time." Being a movie and music enthusiast, her favorite section to write is A&E. She often finds herself gravitating towards sections that allow her to editorialize. “I prefer writing album reviews over any other, because it's something I enjoy writing about and giving my opinion on and it gives me a reason to listen to music for fun, rather than having to write lengthy feature stories or any informative story that aren't as fun to write," Rosario said. Rosario hopes that her love for writing will continue to play a role in her future, even after high school. “One of the reasons I like journalism is that you’re able to choose and write about what you’d like and I think that’s pretty cool," Rosario said. Profile by (Jordan De La Cruz)

Ashlyn Miller, Sports Editor

Ashlyn Miller is a junior at Robinson and the Sports Editor of Knight Writers. This is her second year on staff and first year as an editor. Miller's favorite part of journalism is taking photos of all of the sports at Robinson and improving her photography skills. "We don't exactly have press at Robinson so it's rewarding to me to take photos of people doing what they love," Miller said. Outside of the journalism room, Miller stays involved in school with an array of hobbies. She enjoys staying involved in school by participating in swimming, photography and orchestra. She enjoys playing the violin and loves learning new pieces. "If you're able to make the violin sound good, it's a such rewarding accomplishment for such a difficult instrument," Miller said. Miller also likes spending time with her dog in her past time. Out of cats or dogs, she instantaneously chose dogs. "I prefer dogs. I actually own a German Shepherd named Leia and she's the light of my life, but I have nothing against cats," Miller said. Prepared for the future, she plans to attend journalism school, preferably at Duke University and join their ROTC program. Miller is passionate about media and sports although how competitive positions are. "I want to specialize in the media realm and possibly be a sports commentator for ESPN," Miller said. "I love watching, covering and even playing sports because of the environment that surrounds them and the gratification that comes with doing well." (Profile by Briana Garcia)

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Back to School Issue: Summer Homework Shouldn’t Exist

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