Every Friday afternoon, students at The Columbus School rush home with a mix of excitement and exhaustion, only to find themselves trapped by piles of homework waiting for them. What should be time for family, rest, and mental recovery turns into another two days of stress and sleepless nights. According to Stanford University research, students who spend more than two hours a night on homework experience high levels of stress, physical health problems, and little benefit to learning. Homework was meant to help, not harm, and it’s time we ask: is it really working?

Weekend homework should be eliminated at The Columbus School. It adds unnecessary stress, limits students’ ability to recharge, and doesn’t significantly improve learning outcomes. Instead of promoting responsibility, it takes away what education should nurture most, balance, curiosity, and joy in learning.

Students aren’t lazy, they’re overworked. Senior Sofia Thiriez explained that when she has weekend homework, “it completely affects me, it’s supposed to be for recharging after a long week, but instead you end up at home, finishing assignments alone.” Her words reflect a larger truth. Piling on work during weekends denies students the recovery time they desperately need. Stanford researchers found that 56% of students identified homework as their primary source of stress. When exhaustion replaces motivation, no real learning happens, it’s just survival until Monday.

Many teachers defend homework as a way to reinforce knowledge, but the evidence says otherwise. The Stanford study concluded that excessive homework actually leads to “diminished returns for academic performance.” Former student Ezequiel, who graduated in 2023, experienced this firsthand: “I think mostly burnout. I had to learn a lot of discipline, but because of this I was constantly tired.” When fatigue sets in, students memorize for the sake of completing tasks, not to understand. Fewer assignments and none on weekends, would allow for deeper engagement during class, where real comprehension happens.

Rest isn’t a luxury, it’s a requirement for growth. Sofia shared, “At times, I feel very exhausted and just want to give up.” This exhaustion damages not only academic performance but also creativity, motivation, and mental health. Ezequiel described that in college, where he has more control over his schedule, he’s “happier and more focused” and performs better when given real breaks. When schools honor rest, students return refreshed, ready to learn, and capable of managing their own time effectively. Weekend freedom builds the balance that endless homework destroys. 

Some might argue that homework teaches discipline and time management. But structure can come from meaningful class projects, collaboration, and self-directed study, not endless problem sets. As Ezequiel said, “I had to cancel plans just to catch up.” Responsibility shouldn’t come at the cost of mental health. If the goal is to prepare students for life, then we must teach them how to rest, manage stress, and prioritize well-being, not how to function under burnout.

Homework was designed to reinforce learning, not restrict living. At The Columbus School, it’s time to rethink what truly helps students grow. Eliminating weekend homework would give learners the rest they need to succeed, both academically and personally. It is crucial to come up with an alternative, such as prohibiting weekend work, and encouraging teachers to send out homework at the beginning of the week, so it doesn’t affect student’s rest days. Let’s return weekends to what they were meant for recharging, connecting, and being human. Because in the end, rested students learn better, live better, and make education meaningful again.