Recently, I have been thinking about the amount of time our students spend on homework and whether their learning increases because of this extra work. This reflection has led me to make changes in how I approach my lessons and forced me to question the value of so much “outside work” for students. 


 As a parent of three high schoolers, I see the difference in stress on students based on their workload. One of my children is taking two AP courses, 1 honors and enrolled in an advanced math course. He wants to be well-rounded and is passionate about the arts and sports. What his workload has done has made him prioritize and focus on what he is most passionate about. Yet, it keeps him up for hours-on-end, multiple days in a row, with no time other than to just “do school”. The fact he has stayed up well passed 4:00 am on multiple occasions completing homework and has already been sick twice within the first 4 weeks of school is an indication that this is not healthy. This begs the question of what is the purpose of homework and is it getting the outcomes we really want? 


 At the end of the day, We want our students to graduate high school with the skills and tools to thrive in the outside world. We want them to be able to prioritize, set-goals, to be wisdom seekers and actively pursue their passions. How can this possibly happen when they are over scheduled, overworked and stressed out most of their days? What skills are we really teaching them by allowing this to happen? 


 I think as educators, we need to push the pause button and rewind to see how we can make a change. More reading, more note taking, more question answering is sometimes simply MORE. If we want them to have a balanced life beyond school, we should support those choices that allow them to explore their passions, dream, play and thrive. How can we get the same outcomes with less outside work? In what ways can we simplify and help them thrive? When we finally figure that out we too, can rest well.