Winter Break Is No Break

As the holiday season has been winding down, I have been struggling to get back to a normal routine. At least I don't have much homework! However, my cousin has not been so lucky. Knowing she has tons of homework left to do, she keeps getting more stressed as she gets closer and closer to heading back to school on Monday. Why did her teachers feel the need to give out lots of homework over break? It turns out that students need breaks, and assigning homework over a break is cruel and unnecessary. Breaks should be breaks, not extra time to do additional assignments.

My sister is home from college until the end of January. She, unlike my cousin, has no homework. Yet, my sister has about a two or three week longer break than my cousin. That's lots of more time do work. Instead of doing homework, she is catching up on much-needed sleep, spending time with family and friends, and traveling. My sister is even planning a trip to Europe for the summer. Her break has been a real break from work, as well as an opportunity for her to take time for herself. In fact, taking time for oneself is extremely important for one's personal growth and development. Despite not doing schoolwork, my sister still learning about herself and the world around her.

I wish more schools across the country understood that breaks should truly be breaks. Assigning lots of work over a break only takes away from the holiday cheer. Studies even show that too much homework may be detrimental to a student's academic achievement. Schools need to take students' personal lives and health into account and limit the amount of work handed out over breaks. Breaks are breaks, not extra work time.