Dear Future President,

My name is Jessica and I am from a small town in California. I go to the local public high school and as a student with little time on her plate I would like to address the issue of homework in public schools. For years, "“Kids are at school 7 or 8 hours a day, that’s a full working day and why should they have to take work home?” she asked." (Pawlowski). In addition to that they are asked to go home and spend ten minutes for every year they have been in school on homework, that is outrageous. Some students also have chores, jobs, animals, and sports that take up time. After the day is over roughly eight hours in school, two hours on homework, four hours at work, and five hours on chores, animals, and sports. That is roughly nineteen out of twenty-four hours in the day, leaving five hours of rest. The human body takes ten to twenty minutes to fall asleep and your mind continues to remain active for a period of time after that. As growing young adults we should be getting about eight hours of sleep to function properly. Teenagers should be able to live their lives without having to stress on whether they finished 'that essay' or 'those math problems'. Students with less free time tend to stress more,"“And then there are the parents who want a more child-centered life with their kids, who want their kids to be able to explore different aspects of themselves, who think their kids should have free time.”" (Pawlowski)

Students should not have to worry about school on their 'free time'. With a minimum of two hour long practices and four hours at work that leaves little time for homework and no time for a social life. I understand that a job is an option not an obligation at this age but some students have responsibilities. I also suffer from insomnia, so I am up at all hours of the night. Getting little to no sleep at all, by the time I get to sleep and wake up the next morning I have no energy to go through the day and focus on school, homework,​ work, sports, and household chores, Let alone spend quality time with family or friends. It is time that schools stop babying students. We are in highschool, we should know how to study on our own without stressing on assignments that can sometimes be pointless. "The school simply asks that students read 30 minutes each night." (Pawlowski). If teachers spend less time thinking about homework and give better lectures in class there should be no reason we don't pass."“I think teachers are going to be increasingly interested in having total control over student learning during the class day and no relying on homework as any kind of activity that’s going to support student learning.”" (Pawlowski). The teacher shouldn't have to worry if the students are going to study for quizzes or exams. That is on the student and their parents. School's are going digital and not everybody has access to internet at home or time to stay at school even longer and work on a assignment. If a student cares about his/her education they will take the time out of their day to study.

There are some students who don't know how to manage their time wisely or they have nothing to do when they get home other than homework and messing around. Then there are students who need some sort of guide such as homework to study. Students should have an option if they want homework to study but it should not be mandatory. If a student is not good at taking tests they would need to take more time studying on their own terms, taking notes in class, or ask the teacher for extra credit.

Schools should be preparing us for our future. Our classes should be based on the student's future career goals and helping the student succeed. There is too much stress as students reach higher levels of education. They have to prepare for college and a life on their own. "“We are concerned that students in these selective, high pressure high schools can get burned out even before they reach college,” noted Leonard." (Communications). There is no time to stress over homework. "“Who are we as educators to dictate how families spend their private time?” Principal Rebecca Baenig asked in a presentation to the Fairfax County Public School Board." (“Gaithersburg Elementary School In Maryland Gets Rid Of Homework In Favor Of Reading Time”).

So Madam/Mr. President are you going to help your nation's students, your nation's future? Do you want a nation of dropouts and negligent individuals or a nation of hard working independent individuals? Your nation's students is in your hands. Help us create a better future for ourselves and generations to come. The choice to remove homework in public high schools is yours, but we as students need action.

Sincerely,

Jessica H.