Every student wants to be successful. Sports, clubs, and volunteer work all provide students with long lasting skills and lessons that allow them to develop into a flourishing adult. However, too much homework tears this apart.  Homework should be reduced because many students take part in extracurricular activities.

For many students, extracurricular activities become the birthplace of lifelong social skills such as teamwork. When students develop an interest in clubs and sports, they learn to work together and strive for a common goal. This is a crucial component in the workforce. Jennie Kelley, a contributor to the website Helium, states that, “involved students have a better chance of receiving college scholarships and will have acquired the discipline needed to succeed” (Kelley). By participating in these extra activities, students can also “strengthen self-esteem, build lasting friendships, and create a lifetime of memories”(Kelley). These all prove very beneficial to the wellbeing and growth of teenagers, and it is pivotal to have the proper time to focus on these abilities. But is this possible with all the homework teens are assigned today?  It is estimated that “children have lost 12 hours of free time each week while homework time has increased by 50%” (Taylor). This means that with an increase in homework, there is a decrease in time for students to develop these skills. Also, extracurricular activities allow teens to learn how to manage their time. When participating in a sport or club, teens must acquire this skill in order to succeed in both their activity and school. As author Jennie Kelley puts it, “ Procrastination is not an option for a student whose days are busy and structured. Students are much more likely to study during specified hours of downtime” (Kelley). If the amount of assigned homework was cut, students would be able to use this downtime to do something more efficient, such as studying for a test, rather than completing a few pages of math problems checked for completion. In addition to this, extracurricular activities are a great way for teens to relax and “provide a much-needed break from the academic grind” (Kelley). High school students today are under a lot of stress and constantly compete to be the best. Participating in activities give them an escape and outlet to relieve this stress. Jim Taylor, a professor at the University of San Francisco, suggests that hours and hours and hours of homework only add on to this stress and even “loses its value if greater than...two hours for high school students” (Taylor). With all the homework teens have to complete, they lose time and their minds.

Despite all the evidence presented above describing the detrimental effect that excessive homework can have, there are many who praise the effects that a large amount of homework can have. There may be a correlation between better grades and the amount of time spent doing homework or studying. However, while homework remains crucial to students, there is a balance that needs to be sought between that and extracurricular activities. Assigning an average of about 3 hours of homework every night destroys the possibility for students to excel outside the classroom. Extracurricular activities “foster creative, social and physical skills that are desirable qualities to colleges and future employers...These activities help define you in a different way than academic study will” (Kelley). These activities are just as vital to a student’s future as academic achievements.

Extracurricular activities are crucial to ensure the greatest amount of potential in teenagers. Without them, they lose many skills that are important for their adult lives. The reduction of homework would allow teens to develop social skills, make them more time efficient, and relieve their stress. With this balanced along with afterschool activities, success is not too far out of reach.