When my alarm goes off each and every morning about 6 hours after I went to bed, I find myself wishing for just 5 more minutes of sleep. Just 5 minutes would make such a difference. Just 5 minutes would give me that extra energy I need during the day. But I can't sleep for 5 more minutes. I have to get up and get ready for school so that I can be on time to class in order to receive more homework and better my education. But recently I've been thinking, does homework nowadays really better our education?According to the NEA, 11th graders are supposed to spend only 110 minutes on homework each night. That's an hour and 50 minutes. I think it is safe to say that Freshmen spend that much time on homework on a day that they hardly have any. Yes, it's all about how you manage your time, but the truth is that even with time management skills we are seriously burdened with homework. I know people who are staying up until the wee hours of the morning to finish (or start) an essay. Add extracurriculars to the equation and you have yourself a sleepless night.
Because homework is so much of a burden, it has been my understanding that all students want to do is get it over with. This mentality does not help us improve our learning skills. Most of the time, we complete a math assignment by peeking in the back for the answers or we write a reflection that we would not be able to tell you anything about the next day. In addition, staying up late to finish homework is taking a serious toll on our sleep needs. While adults may be able to run well on just a few hours of sleep, teenagers aren't. Biologically, we are programmed to need more sleep so that we can grow. Adults don't need that extra growing time. The consequences of sleep deprivation are undisputed: lack of concentration, drowsiness, delayed reflexes, depression. The American Psychological Association even says that 100,000 car accidents per year are because of fatigue at the wheel, and more than half of those accidents included teens.
Maybe we feel we have to get all of our homework finished on time and to the best of our ability because the competition is so extreme at school. Or maybe some people just don't know how to manage their time. I don't even know if I'm one to talk, since I am posting this near 11 pm. But whatever the case, the increase of homework time and decrease of sleep time benefits no one. I fear the future when I'll have even more homework and even less sleep.
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ReplyDeleteOzakh, first of all, go ahead and sleep those extra five minutes. I know you were tired in math class today. Second, I agree with your stament regarding our mentality to homework, I think especially at New Trier. New Trier has a reputation that they push kids the hardest and produce the best, and that it is the best, and I think that teachers feel that pressure too, and so push their classes harder, which means more homework. And, personally, the more homework I have, the less likely I am to even try to tackle it all, and if I do, I'm not fully engaged. So, even if the assignment is finished, I absorbed nothing from it.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason we always want "five more minutes" is because New Trier students often have too much on their plate. From school, clubs, sports, family and friends it can be exhausting to keep everything balanced. The key to keep a balance and not get exhausted? Sleep.
ReplyDeleteBecause sleep is incredibly important, I find it motivates me to not procrastinate and get it all done early so I can get enough sleep. I find when I have less free-time I do better with academics because it keeps me focused. For example, when I am in cross country and track season I am more productive during my free periods and after school because I have less time after school to get it done. Ironically, is the key to more sleep, is to be more busy? Maybe in the fight against procrastination.