With school back in full swing, the always-dreaded homework has made it’s inevitable return. Planners are once again filled with plan-killing assignments and students are left questioning their choice in class rigor.

A letter to parents became popular on Twitter and other social media sites at the beginning of the school year. It explained that North Texas teacher Brandy Young would no longer be assigning homework. Instead, homework would only consist of what the students didn’t finish in class.

Many high schoolers were retweeting this, and it should be known that Young actually teaches second grade. DGN students crossing their fingers for a similar note sent home should know that this is extremely unlikely in a high school environment, especially with the popularity of honors and AP level classes. However, there is a noticeably large amount of homework seen in all classes at DGN.

Finance classes teach benefits vs. cost. Teachers should apply this to their daily routine when assigning homework– what is the cost of assigning an hour of homework every night? Do the costs outweigh the benefits? Sure, a student may have completed the 100 pages assigned to them last night, but what if they were up until midnight doing so? At some point, the student will get tired and be unable to process the information.

Many teachers of AP classes struggle with the time constraints of the AP exams. They have to fit a certain amount lessons in before the AP exams, which requires a great deal of work at home. However, teachers of these classes should set up a defined schedule so that students with heavy class loads can plan ahead to get their work done. It’s terrible having one or even two days to complete a large assignment.

For classes that aren’t AP level, homework should really be limited to anything that can’t be fit into class time. Students should not be expected to learn new things outside of the classroom. Assessments for learning, such as math practice or foreign language worksheets, should be optional study devices. Studying is included in homework; along with studying outside of class, students should be helped in class for the test by running through what’s going to be on it. They should not be expected to reread every page in the textbook.

Students should, however, have responsibilities when it comes to homework. There is no way around at-home essays or other large projects. If they know that the next few weeks are going to be busy and they are given a major assignment, they should talk to their teacher as soon as possible about their conflicts.

There should also be an understanding of the extension policy. Students should be sure to know what the policy entails, and teachers need to make sure that they are recognize students’ outside obligations and are empathic to those needs.

The first time a student talks to a teacher, it should not be about an extension. They should not go in expecting to  get a week-long extension without developing a relationship first.

Ultimately, students should never lose sleep over homework. If you’re feeling stressed about your assignments, take a break. Talk to your teacher. Don’t feel like you have to miss out on your outside activities due to your assignments.