Dear Future President,

After doing my own personal research on how school and homework affect students at home, I was truly in shock of how negative the results were. The amount of complaints on this issue and how it can permanently affect the psychology of the student is truly shocking. While others go towards the more pressing matters that affect the people of today, I want to address the problems of our future generations.The issue is that our schooling system is overloading our students with homework.

First of all, the amount of time into homework has increased by a whopping 51% since 1981, according to District Administration. At first, my thought was that since we’ve had more scientific, historical, mathematical, and technological breakthroughs since then, that we would have more to learn. While this is true, what happens with homework? Do we just keep adding on to the mountain of already stress inducing work? When in the higher grades, do we add another 51% to the homework that already takes up most of the day to complete? Even if you work all day? Stress can be one of the most deadly things. According to MD, George Krucik, along with the standard headache and high-blood pressure, you can even have insomnia, immune system failure, and even a heart attack. While this is just over the amount of homework increasing, what about the amount right now? How much homework are we actually giving our students?

In high school, the average class load, through all grades, is seven classes. For each one of those classes, students will get an average of two pages of homework everyday. According to Craig Canapari, MD, the average homework assignment takes the average teenager a total of 60 minutes to complete, and 1-2 hours if it’s an AP (advanced placement) class. So at the end of the day, the school expects you to work an average of seven to the extreme amount of fourteen hours per day! Yet the average school day is 7.5 hours long. Meaning by the time you arrive home, you need to get working on that homework. Not to mention your three meals a day, periodic breaks, and your standard eight hours of sleep. Yet you could be taking AP classes, so you will most definitely not finish all of your homework. Now, this is being generous because you could get sick, or have a family emergency, and don’t forget the rest of the obstacles that might stall your work time.

Taking this into consideration, how many students would devote their life to an algebra packet? According to Learning Disabilities Association of America, the recommended time for the average teen is 150 minutes a day. This number doesn't even come close to the reality of homework time. 150 minutes per day would in fact help our students become healthier. Along with the stress decreasing, they would be more social and engaging in life instead of using their blood, sweat, and tears to complete mere high school. Plus, high school just prepares you for college; it doesn't find your career.

So, future president of America, I ask you to go over this matter and to consider looking into this problem. The future generations are going to realize the same thing. While they can only plead and protest, it’s up to our government to decide what will happen with our students’ homework. The Department of Education can start a petition for a board or amendment for the lessening or obliteration of homework. The only thing needed for it to pass is the president's acknowledgement of the amendment and the popular, supporting vote from the country. So please, lessen or even completely get rid of homework.

-Sincerely, Daniel M. from Oregon