There is a huge debate about homework and whether it helps kids learn during the school year. But everyone agrees that homework can take lots of time. The most commonly accepted guidelines recommend one hour for middle school and two hours for high school. However, I think this amount of time on homework every day can be too much. The nightly hour many middle schoolers spend on homework adds up to about 180 hours over a school year. That is time that kids could be playing sports, reading books or just taking a break after a long day. It is common for high school students to devote twice as much time, about two hours daily, to their homework. And some schools require much more homework. In some school systems, even kindergartners do some homework. Does making kids study in what could be their personal time pay off? Homework appears to work best when the teacher and students are clear about what it is for and the assignments are worthwhile. While I do believe doing some homework is helpful, I don’t think it should be assigned unless it is necessary.
