Erin, 11th grade, burdened with a pile of work

Photo Credit: Carolina, 11th grade 

The homework load has been a major source of complaints this year at GCDS, but why are students so stressed? What is the school doing to mitigate the issue? Or, is it even an issue at all? Students and teachers commented on the causes and effects of homework stress.

As a part of a 10th-grade Seminar class, students designed and emailed a survey concerning various academic elements to the Upper School. When asked about the amount of sleep they get each night, 26% of students responded that they get 3-5 hours. 63% reported that they get between 6-8, and 11% answered that they sleep for 8+ hours a night.

In the same survey, when asked about the amount of time they spend doing whatever they want each day, 49% of GCDS students answered that they spend less than 1 hour, with 44% stating that they spend 1-2 hours, and 7% reporting that they spend over 2 hours.

Students working in a breakout space during a free period.

Photo Credit: Carolina, junior

Aerin, an 11th grader, said that homework “can range from one to three hours each night”, and that “it’s a primary source of my stress, but some days it can be really easy to deal with and some days can be really overwhelming.” Aerin finds that, “It’s kind of frustrating because for weeks I had no homework at all and one week I just had five hours a night and it’s just so much and hard to deal with”. 

Michael, an 11th grader, also shares Aerin’s concerns about the on-again-off-again homework weeks. When asked if the influxes of homework are a major cause of his stress, he stated that they are, “especially if there’s a test coming up in a different class”. Further stating that “I can’t really study for [the test], or if I take time studying for that class, I miss other homework.”

According to Ms. Russo, “in general teachers are trying harder [to coordinate] this year. It’s an emphasis of ours. We’ve had long, long discussions in 11th and 12th grade meetings about reducing homework time to half an hour [per class] and trying to keep it under control. We’re really concerned about it. It’s really on everybody’s mind.” 

Ms. Russo said that she aims to give students roughly thirty minutes of homework each night, and that she gives upperclassmen “the same amount of time, but…  more difficult things.”

Dr. Grene stated that he aims “for roughly 35-40” minutes of homework each night and in line with Ms. Russo’s train of thought, gives upperclassmen the same time for homework but in greater depth and difficulty.

Ms. Russo after discussing student feedback.

 Photo Credit: Cyrus, 11th grade

30-40 minutes of homework for each class might not seem like a lot, but with the six period per day schedule this year, along with fewer days off between classes, it can be difficult for students to complete roughly two to four hours of homework each night, especially in addition to daily sports which add hours to one’s schedule.

Another reason for the stressful school weeks is that due to the sheer number of courses, teachers are finding it more difficult to effectively communicate in order to avoid major assignments piling up. Ms. Russo stated that “since there are so many other classes people are taking, it’s hard”,  which is what leads to the “frustrating” schedules students experience. 

Dr. Grene has a slightly different approach to avoid dumping work on students, stating that, “I actually coordinate with, and trust, the students. I will ask them, when I’m assigning a major project, if they’re being slammed. And I also do periodic check-ins, even with regular homework, to make sure they’re doing it, but also to make sure it’s manageable.” 

According to Dr. Cullen, another step teachers are discussing is the creation of a calendar “so that faculty will post what they’re doing and what assignments are due so that they can see what their colleagues are doing” 

According to the GCDS survey, the majority of students also have 5-20 hours of extracurricular activities per week. 

Dr. Cullen also noted, “I don’t think I understood the degree to which there’s mandated extracurricular activity that can really make it more difficult for an academic minded student to really focus on their academic life.”

In reference to how students “juggle” academics and “firm expectations” to engage in outside activities, Dr. Grene is “simply struck by how students are handling it all. They come into class generally prepared, and generally cheerful and energetic.”

Statistics and student experiences at GCDS show that homework load may not be as large of a problem as the demanding extracurricular requirements and stressful schedule. 

Compared to the rest of the country, the homework load at GCDS is fairly standard. A study conducted by “Challenge Success” from 2018 – 2020, found that on average, high school students did around 2.7 hours of homework a night, with another study finding that high school students get roughly 7 hours of sleep a night.