Veterans Day is a day to celebrate those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Like other holidays, it also serves as a day for students to sleep in and experience a short break from school.
However, many students take advantage of this time to do their homework in order to catch up, stay on track, or simply get ahead in their classes.
Sophomore Laura Cracas said, “I like to get things done right when I receive them, so I spent most of Veterans Day doing homework. It didn’t really feel like a day off because my mind was on school the whole time.”
According to Instructional Vice President Jennifer Cho, administration does not have any formal policies on giving students homework over holidays. However, administration encourages teachers to minimize homework when possible.
Cho said, “We have had many discussions about homework assigned on holidays, and we believe that each teacher is the expert of their own curriculum. We have asked the teaches to recognize our students’ lives, and make sure that each homework assignment is meaningful.”
A sixteen-year study done at Duke University showed that having students do excessive amounts of homework, especially without a break, does not correlate with higher grades, but simply increases stress on students.
Social studies teacher Jaime Garcia believes that students should have their break to relax and separate themselves from the hectic schedules that most students follow on a daily basis: “I think it’s important that the students hit pause, and then come back with a fresh mind.”
Overall, this conflict between giving students homework on such days comes down to opinions.
A father of a Carlmont sophomore, Mark Albertson, said, “Homework is a very important part of succeeding in school. Even though it’s a holiday, I think that students should do whatever they need to in order to do well.”
As a school, Carlmont is trying to work together to provide students with the correct amounts of homework, and allow them to experience the break that they need to rejuvenate themselves before coming back to school.
