Should teachers assign homework over break? This question has confronted many teachers and students who have found themselves with just a few hours of break left and much work to do.
If homework is assigned, students tend to not forget as much of what they have done before the break. As a result, teachers do not have to spend the first week of school getting the students back up to speed.
There is also the concern that students will not read and will spend all their time on their electronic devices.
“It’s not a worry, I know it’s going to happen,” English Teacher Mr. Keith Belson said.
According to a study from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), thirty-one percent of students never or hardly ever read for fun. That number has gone down three percentage points since 2020.
Students have a different perspective.
“I believe that assigning homework defeats the point of a break, and it degrades the moments we have with family,” Fourth Former Brooks Brewington said.
According to a 2014 Stanford University study of over 4000 California high schoolers, fifty-six percent of students said homework was a leading cause of stress.
Sixth Former Nolan McCloskey agreed.
“The work is constantly on my mind,” McCloskey said.
Mr. Belson acknowledges that work assigned over break is not as strong as work submitted during school weeks.
“The work that I receive is of a lower quality,” Mr. Belson said.
The poor quality of work is because teachers plan for homework to be dispersed throughout the break. However, McCloskey believes that this system does not work.
“Either I will do all the work at the start of the break or all the work at the end of the break,” McCloskey said. “If the assignment is more substantial than normal homework, my work would be of lower quality because, ironically, there isn’t enough time.”
Homework assigned over break keeps students more in the loop, and they do not regress as much. Even so, the potential stress of homework affects how students can relax with family, contradicting the main point of a break according to school policy.
“We want students to have a break,” said Mr. Mark Fifer, Head of Upper School, “students need to rest.”
