School and homework should not be what teenagers lives’ revolve around at all times; teenagers would like to have lives too. 

Sioux Falls School District high school students spend six hours and 55 minutes in school every weekday, not counting the extra time allotted to homework. Moreover, most high schoolers are involved in some sort of extracurricular activity (or multiple) that also takes up their time. Outside of concrete commitments like extracurriculars and school itself, teenagers should have time to maintain a social life, to see their families, to pursue hobbies and even, if we’re getting crazy, have some time to breathe. With the intense amounts of homework currently being assigned to students, these simple luxuries are not feasibly possible.      

There are only 24 hours in a day. High schoolers need at least an hour of exercise every day and a minimum of eight hours of sleep per night, according to the CDC. School lasts six hours and 55 minutes, and most students have at least an additional hour of extracurriculars. There is also time dedicated to eating, chores, catching up with family, hygiene and self care. Many students also have to take public transportation, have a job or both. The average student also spends 2.7 hours on homework every weeknight, according to the Washington Post. Taking all of these time-consuming variables into consideration, it’s quite clear something needs to be cut in order to achieve the goal of allowing students time for social lives and lives outside of the school system. Homework seems to be the only non-necessity in this list. 

The late nights and precious free time students dedicate to papers and math equations also takes a toll on their health. Students who spend significant amounts of time on homework display greater amounts of academic stress, more physical health problems, and a lack of balance in their lives, according to a study by Stanford Graduate School of Education. The very prominent negative effects of homework need to be recognized and taken into consideration. 

Whether it’s lowering the amount of homework assigned, or ending the assignment of homework completely, something needs to change. The physical and mental health of students should be more important than bringing schoolwork into the other facets of their lives.