NEWS

Bearing Crosses
By: Jennifer W., Roncalli High School, Port Saunders NF

“My book bag’s so heavy that I think I’m going to fall over backwards!” This is a saying which is very common for many high school students who are loaded down with homework, assignments and other commitments each night.

“The workload teachers place on us is very stressful, and somewhat outrageous,” declares Level 1 student Deanne Curnew (of Roncalli Central High School), “it takes away from our social life, too!” Melissa Offrey, a Level 2 student also at Roncalli High claims, “My book bag is always very heavy... It’s too much!”

A student at Yarmouth High school agrees and he says, “I get way too much homework!” He also asks, “Why should I even have to do work at home? I have five hours of school a day, plus homework.” A student at Menihek High school says, “I think that teachers should only assign homework if’s its absolutely necessary-like if you missed a class or something.”

So, what’s up with all the homework? Surely, not everyone’s missing class. Deanne Curnew reasons by saying, “classes are really big, there are a lot of students, and teachers spend a lot of time explaining, so that equals more homework.” Ms. Applin, a teacher at Roncalli High, states, “[The homework load] depends on the classes- some courses inherently require a lot of homework,” and that, “everything cannot be completed during class time.”

While having a lot of homework is generally a pain, it can also be somewhat considered necessary. It teaches responsibility, and helps a student achieve a higher understanding of the material they’re learning. Sure, students get a lot of homework, but teachers get quite a bit too. While a student can sometimes weasel out an hour to catch up on homework during a free class, teachers have to do all their homework at home.

Believe it or not, homework for a teacher is just as much of a burden as it is for a student. In the long run, all this homework, if done, does pay off, helping a student be successful in today’s fast paced, competitive world of the future’s brightest minds. Ms. Applin puts it best: “I can sympathize with students who feel they have too much homework. As a teacher, I too, have a lot of homework. It’s a cross both students and teachers have to bear.”