Unfortunately, if teachers are to read this post, they will just say, "Just use time management and you will be okay!" While that is true, what teenager isn't going to want a life? It is 10:29 in the evening on a Sunday and I have yet to finish all my homework (which I have worked on since 2). I understand that I may be somewhat of a procrastinator, but it seems to me that if I have been working for 8 hours, school work would be done and I could be in bed right now.
Going along with the theme of school, my mother was at a conference that had a local physician speaking about the amount of sleep that is necessary for teenagers. This physician stated that starting school at 8 o'clock is too early of a starting time. Two states have already switched their high school starting times to about 9 o'clock, simply for the reason that teenagers need their sleep. I have added two links at the end of this post that will provide some info about the necessity of sleep and school start times.
When you factor in the idea of teens being involved in extra curricular activities and school sports, sleep is much needed. Teachers don't realize that sports (such as swimming) begin their practices at 5:45 in the morning and often times with away meets/games may not get home until 11 in the evening. That student is not given any special privileges and is still expected to complete all their work in time for the next day.
I am involved in show choir and drama. Now, although show choir only practices once or twice a week, it still puts a strain on my ability to complete homework. Drama, however, while in the midst of the premier, I have play practice everyday from about 3:30 until close to 9 every day. I would do homework in my free time while practicing, but we are expected to pay attention and be ready to take instruction while offstage.
One final note on the idea of amounts of homework. Wednesdays are intended as "church" days where some people have services and others have youth groups and such. As a Christian, I enjoy going to our youth group and participating in our youth activities. On Wednesdays, teachers are not supposed to give out a ton of homework because kids shouldn't have to give up their Christian life just for schoolwork. So teachers give out a little homework. But when you have 5 challenging academic courses in one day and each teacher gives a "little" amount of homework, that so-called "little" amount becomes a huge load of homework. I have not been able to attend my youth group/church activities in the past month because I have had school homework/activities every night and I have had to take the choice of school because I get a grade for this work.
This leads into the topic of grading homework. If someone is extremely busy and simply does not have the time to do his/her homework, the teacher shouldn't care. Teachers should be more understanding of this circumstance. If you are a teacher reading this, you may think to yourself, I AM understanding of these situations. What you don't realize, however, is that more often than not, you really aren't that lenient. Think to yourself, how many times have you docked points for late work? If a student turns in work late and says they're sorry it's late, they just couldn't get it done on time, do you still dock them points? The most likely answer to that question is yes. In that case, you are less understanding than you think.
I apologize if during this post I offended anyone, and I also apologize for definitely being less than optimistic. I was just trying to get my point across, so one must use the extremities.
Will you let this post affect your outlook on school?
P.S. I didn't highlight a word for this post because I feel that their are too many important words to highlight just one.
Links of Interest:
