Spring Break
Current homework model impractical
by Samantha Shokin
Staff Writer
Op-Ed | 11/18/08
Posted online at 2:37 AM EST on 11/18/08
I remember a time when completing all of my assigned homework was a reasonable task that didn't require drudging into the wee hours of the night, depending on various caffeine sources to maintain focus and even just keep my eyelids open.
This nostalgia for "manageable time" goes back to circa middle school-before my na'vely studious 14-year-old self had discovered the brilliance of SparkNotes or even considered the possibility of not doing an assigned reading.
Homework was something that had to be done, no questions asked. Otherwise I wouldn't get the satisfaction of putting a glowing checkmark in the designated box of my student planner.
Then came the high school curriculum and, subsequently, the college workload. My strict diligence was tossed away, along with my love for Saturday morning cartoons and a drive to maintain straight As.
Was little Sam growing up? Perhaps. Or was little Sam discouraged, fighting to stay afloat in an increasingly overwhelming academic environment? Probably.
It is a well-known fact that today's students, in their tremendous efforts to rise above the masses and excel in every aspect of their academic careers, work profusely and sacrifice valuable time. At the same time, it is a general trend among professors to assign reading way beyond any amount that would be considered doable, or sometimes even thinkable.
What happens as a result? A great number of students just give up on attempting to finish all assigned work, and some choose not to do it altogether.
From a recent article written in USA Today: "Nearly one in five college seniors and 25 percent of freshmen say they frequently come to class without completing readings or assignments, a national survey shows. And many of those students say they mostly still get As.
"The survey doesn't address whether those students are lazy, busy, intimidated, bored or geniuses. But it supports other studies that suggest a gap between what college professors expect from students and what students actually do."
This nostalgia for "manageable time" goes back to circa middle school-before my na'vely studious 14-year-old self had discovered the brilliance of SparkNotes or even considered the possibility of not doing an assigned reading.
Homework was something that had to be done, no questions asked. Otherwise I wouldn't get the satisfaction of putting a glowing checkmark in the designated box of my student planner.
Then came the high school curriculum and, subsequently, the college workload. My strict diligence was tossed away, along with my love for Saturday morning cartoons and a drive to maintain straight As.
Was little Sam growing up? Perhaps. Or was little Sam discouraged, fighting to stay afloat in an increasingly overwhelming academic environment? Probably.
It is a well-known fact that today's students, in their tremendous efforts to rise above the masses and excel in every aspect of their academic careers, work profusely and sacrifice valuable time. At the same time, it is a general trend among professors to assign reading way beyond any amount that would be considered doable, or sometimes even thinkable.
What happens as a result? A great number of students just give up on attempting to finish all assigned work, and some choose not to do it altogether.
From a recent article written in USA Today: "Nearly one in five college seniors and 25 percent of freshmen say they frequently come to class without completing readings or assignments, a national survey shows. And many of those students say they mostly still get As.
"The survey doesn't address whether those students are lazy, busy, intimidated, bored or geniuses. But it supports other studies that suggest a gap between what college professors expect from students and what students actually do."
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