To the Editor:

Homework is a well fought-over topic on weather it's good or bad but let me tell you my view.  Homework is with us all the time and, when we think we are finished, we get more.

Kids get too much homework so have no free time then usually have negative attitudes. I would have a more positive outlook on school if I had less homework.

Author Alfie Kohn says that "homework is all pain and no gain." And i can't say that I'm not on Kohn’s side.

Homework  also takes away valuable time that could be spent on recreation and families. Studies have concluded that students who have more homework and are doing it all the time have weaker social relationships.  Kohn says, “Homework is actually diving kids away from learning.¨ it makes kids think of learning in a bad way since they are doing it all the time.

Kids should have nine hours of sleep but the average teen gets seven to eight hours of sleep.

Another bad thing is that having too much homework takes a lot of time, which is time that could have been spent on family and friends, leading to adulthood depression.

The biggest downside is death. A teenager named Arabella Campbell went into cardiac arrest in her bedroom doing homework and died on the way to the hospital. With no history of drinking or drugs, she is believed to have died because of anxiety and stress.

The other side about homework is the good side: It makes sure that what students learn in school they memorize and remember. It also makes sure that they have good effort and got what the teacher told them.

It also shows the parents if their children understood the concepts in school and were not just zoning out in class or cheating. I also understand that the school has to exceed a limit on how students are doing in class or there could be consequences but the homework load can be a little excessive.

In my opinion — and many others believe this, too —  homework should be eliminated or reduced drastically so that students can enjoy themselves outside of school.

Jack Javoroski

Farnsworth Middle School