The bell rings at precisely 7:15 a.m. The long day at FHN begins. Students head to their first class, most not entirely woken up for the day. An early start for school means an even earlier wake up call for most students. From the time the last bell rings in the morning at 7:20 a.m. to the dismissing bell at 2:20 students spend 7 hours learning at FHN.  After that 7 hour long day instead of spending time with family, trying a new activity or refreshing their mental health, students sit down for a homework filled night.

Hobbies and outside of school activities allow for students to explore their passions not available in school. It gives students the chance to be something other than a student. No one’s life should be revolved around one thing. For many students this is a hard rule to go by. Nights can easily be wasted away from the pile of homework assigned. But then where do these hobbies that are essential to growth fit in? The hard truth is, in most American school systems, they don’t.

A 2013 survey done by the University of Phoenix says the average amount of homework freshman and senior teachers give their students is 3.5 hours per week. Most likely manageable for the average student, but after you take into account that most high school students have multiple teachers those hours per week increase drastically. If applied to FHN, students would have an average of 24.5 hours of homework each week. That’s more than a part time job. Which, according to a 2018 study done by Child Trends, 50% of all youth have. Add in the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep needed for teens, according to the Sleep Foundation, time left in the day is slowly running out.

This is a problem that can be fixed, if teachers and students come together and find a compromise. A solution could be to increase the amount of time teachers give for homework. This allows for students to schedule their time to balance all the aspects of their life. Another solution could be optional homework. Have a portion of the homework given that’s not for a grade but if the student needs extra help, they have that resource. No matter what this time consuming habit shouldn’t go on any longer. Let’s allow students to find time for themselves.