No homework nights occur once every nine weeks and were established throughout Madison City in attempt to encourage families to spend time together.

Stanford performed studies, and the results stated that abundant amounts of homework were associated with greater stress, reductions in health, and less time for extracurricular activities and family which is why a break would help.

So far, some students have found no homework nights very helpful. It gives students a break and time to relax. Mrs. Van Dam, a teacher at Bob Jones, explained, “Depending on the class, I think homework is unnecessary because it’s stressful for a lot of students. It cuts into a lot of things and I think students should be well-rounded. I think it’s just an added stress that students don’t need unless they’re falling behind, they need extra practice, or they need extra work.”

However, over half of the students who participated in a survey find no homework nights ineffective. Many Bob Jones students spend their no homework nights catching up on sleep or other work, which says a lot about the amount of homework students receive. Bob Jones sophomore Hadley Rosengrant stated, “I never know when they are because all of my teachers completely ignore it. I’ve had teachers schedule tests the next day, so even if we didn’t have homework, we still have to study. I’m in AP and honors classes, and I’m legit always stressed, so no homework nights have LITERALLY not helped me at all.”

Junior Dalia Altubuh said, “I mean once in a term feels like too little, ya know?”

But what about the benefits of homework? Homework can bring up grades, help students study for tests and provides extra practice. An article talks about 10 benefits of homework, one of them being that students learn time management and how to set priorities. But most students just find homework stressful, not helpful.

The issue is in the amount of homework, not homework in general. An article from US News stated that the average high school student has 17.5 hours of homework a week which is 3.5 hours a day. On top of extracurricular activities and family time, that can stress students out easily. How would less homework help students?

Chloe Kuebbing, a freshman, stated, “If I didn’t have homework, I think I would generally be a happier person. I would have more chances to hang out with my friends and spend quality time with my family. I would have more time to study for tests and sleep.”

Having homework prevents students from preparing for their future, especially seniors who need to apply for scholarships.