Virtual learning has been an interesting experience for everyone. Now that most people are home for school some adults may think that students now have all the free time in the world. That is not the case and now kids are swimming in homework.

The COVID-19 pandemic had most schools locked down until early August or September. Kids of all ages started to attend online classes and were assigned assignments each day. Most teachers used to give one or two assignments a day, but now that kids are not in a classroom environment many have doubled the amount of assignments. 

It must be stressful to teachers because they are not sure if the students are really learning the material. They give out many assignments to make sure that kids are actually comprehending the material. Teachers want their students to be able to fully understand the topics they are learning.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a lot more ways to understand what was being taught when students were actually at school. However, an excessive amount of assignments is not needed when it comes to online learning. 

During a pandemic kids still have lives outside of school. They need to go outside or do something that makes them relaxed, but that doesn’t feel possible when assignments and tests are back to back.The average amount of hours that most high school students take to complete homework used to be two but now it can take over four hours. 

Teachers should lessen the amount of assignments they give to students or make the Zoom calls shorter so there is more time to complete the work. In Zoom classes the teachers usually just explain what the students are supposed to do for the day. Although some students may get confused by the instructions, others may not feel the need to sit in the Zoom for over forty minutes when the teacher is talking. If they are let out early they have more freedom in what they are going to do in their free time.

Teachers can also give out less assignments. Giving out less assignments will relieve the students with their stress levels and let them focus more on the given assignments. Students may get distracted during an assignment because all they can think about is the other work they need to finish. In the end all of it is rushed and their work isn’t up to their full potential.

Studies show that homework also has an effect on children’s health. Stanford University conducted a test and found that the added stress to a person’s everyday life leads to constant headaches, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and stomach problems. It was also shown that on top of the overload of assignments students were also stressed with parents expectations, college, and extracurricular activities. All this leads to some abusing drugs and alcohol to cope with the stress, which could potentially lead to severe health problems.

Lessening the amount of assignments will have a positive effect on a student’s everyday life and allows them to work to their full potential.