Even with diverse daily schedules, students often struggle to balance their workload effectively. They may have been assigned a manageable amount of homework, but somehow their workload seems to have doubled after the school day. 

When students don’t finish assignments in class, teachers tend to ask that they be finished at home, but how do your teachers assign a perfect amount of work during class to give everyone the chance to finish without over or underloading them? 

The recommended amount of homework is 10 minutes per grade level, meaning 70 minutes for 7th graders and 80 minutes for 8th graders. However, different students work at different paces.  

On average, anecdotally,  Longfellow students spend around an hour and a half on homework, with some students spending almost four hours and others spending none. 

Though efficiency depends on a student’s skill level, it can also depend on strategies developed to keep up with assignments. A large problem Longfellow Students deal with when turning in assignments is as simple remembering the assignment exists.

Eighth grader Sebastian J. is taking the AVID course, which helps with his organization. 

“With AVID, it helps me really use my agenda more, so I always remember the dates of everything,” Sebastian said. 

 AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a program to support students and prepare them for college and their future careers. Not everyone gets to take the class, however, and many never end up using their agendas.

 Another struggle has to do with a student’s home life. From taking care of siblings to after-school activities such as sports and clubs, it can be hard to find time to finish homework, especially if they struggle with finishing work during the school day. Some students have after-school sports that leave them exhausted and unable to finish.

Teachers have a lot to think about when assigning work, as every student is different and has a different work ethic. 

Science teacher Elizabeth Schinstock provides a clearer perspective on how teachers consider each student and their other classes. 

“[Assigning Homework] varies with each class,” said Schinstock. For example, advanced academic classes get more homework than honors classes, but typically she tries not to assign a lot of homework.

 She pointed out that it is difficult to know how much homework other teachers have given since there were no teams this year. As a result, teachers spend a lot of time worrying that their students are getting overloaded. 

Though there are no easy answers, students are definitely feeling the pressure.