SOL 18- Homework

          At this point in my life I am seriously over the entire idea of homework. For example, this weekend, I have to write my continuation speech, write 5 pages on evolution, format an entire book and print it on cardstock, start rough drafts of 20 highly detailed illustrations, blog, write a thank you card, create an HQ page, and still try to find time to have a life. At Logan, most of the homework involves creativity, so it is extra draining. It would be much easier to just have all assignments be like math where you just sit down and work through a limited list of problems, instead of having to come up with a ton of creative ways to do things. I feel like more structure would be really nice for me, and I am definitely looking forward to that in high school.
          In my opinion, the general concept/idea of homework is not a very good one. There have been many studies done that have shown how much happier and stress free kids would be if they don't have a massive list of tasks every night. The schools with the best average scores and the happiest students have little to no homework assigned to the students. I get things like summer homework where you need to do review and prepare for the following year, but after a bunch of math is drilled into your head I don't think it is reasonable to have to go home and spend another two hours trying to figure out what it was that was supposed to be drilled into your head.
          Homework first started as a way to have a manageable discipline every night for students to practice and learn the ways of reading, writing, and arithmetic. When homework started to be assigned, it was given in reasonable chunks for the students to memorize and work through. This minimal additional work was simple and did not eat up massive chunks of time. It still left time for socializing and extracurricular activities. It was a way for students to continue to develop simple skills and prepare for tests and other assignments. Over time, homework evolved into massive, complex projects that did not leave time for students to have their own lives. As more homework was assigned from more classes, homework became much harder and unreasonable for students. (This is actually based on some articles I read, so I did not just pull some history out of a hat.)
          If homework has stayed as this original discipline, I would have a much different view on it. Personally, I think nightly review and practice makes sense and is a good idea to help students stay current with what they are doing in class. When it morphs into twenty some odd problems in math and science classes and reading and writing 50 pages, I think it gets ridiculous. It is no longer for the student, it is a review tool the teacher uses in a harsh and harmful way towards the student's general wellbeing and mindset.
          Sorry, this was kind of a rant, I just hate that my life for the next 8-10 years is going to be consumed by pointless, long assignments given by teachers who probably don't actually care about the work I've done.