Essay Example about Homework

Homework has had a rocky past throughout the course of modern history, and depending on the source has been around for almost a thousand years. However, most experts agree that modern homework was invented in the 19th century in the newly formed nation of Germany. Homework was implemented in order to actively oppress learners and to emphasize the power the state had over the people in at a then time, an unstable Germany. Homework has gone through many cycles of banning, questioning, and reimplementing. Many people believe that we are in another cycle of questioning. In modern days homework isn't as big of a political weapon as it once was, but it is still actively weighing down and oppressing students across the globe. In today's world students are actively being assigned upwards of four hours of mostly monotonous, tedious, and pointless homework per night. The assigning of hours of busy work per night must end. 

Homework has always been a struggle for busy students and has been the cause of many stressful nights. Even before the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, homework-related mental health issues were on the rise, and with the world closing in on itself these issues were exacerbated. In 2014 a Stanford researcher surveyed over four thousand high school students about their thoughts on homework, with 56% of them citing homework as a primary source of stress. Many of these students also reported struggling with sleep deprivation and various other health problems due to being overburdened with homework. Many of these students also said they felt as if they were unable to learn new skills and enjoy other hobbies due to the sheer amount of work that they had. (Cite). 

Many people say that an abundance of homework is an excellent way for students to learn new material and master already known topics. However, for many students, these statements are just fallacies and misguided thoughts. For example, many students don't have an equal playing field when it comes to at-home life. Many students have extra responsibilities when they arrive home after school such as watching younger siblings, and helping provide for the family. On top of these responsibilities some households lack stable internet connection or have the resources to complete assignments.