This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The amount of homework given to modern-day students has increased to potentially life-threatening quantities. This may not be true to students of lower level grades, but certainly in high school. According to USA Today, stress levels in high school students is at an all-time high, paralleled with depression rates and suicide.
Am I directly correlating homework to suicide? No, not necessarily, but by no means should that be overlooked. Psychcentral.com states that suicide is the third leading cause of death in people ages 15-24.
According to CBS News, Utah is the 15th highest state in suicide rates across the United States. Is this related to stress, work levels or possibly even lack of rest? Many students claim to be doing homework until almost 11 in the evening. In this case, homework would be a major factor in stress.
As a high school student, I have personally experienced that. This begs the question: Am I depressed? Well, no. But homework levels are only going up, and I believe we should leave school at school. There is no need for so much work outside.
Studying has value, yes, but the amount of time spent doing homework and studying should be balanced with the time spent doing extracurricular activities. As they say, a balance of work and play keeps the doctor away.
Hunter Crosland
Eden