If time off is meant to give students time to rest, why do so many find themselves buried in assignments during holidays meant for family and recovery?
After weeks of tests, projects and studying, many students rely on winter break for rest and recovery. These vacations are intended to provide a pause from daily stress, giving students a chance to recharge mentally and physically. With additional homework, the chance to rest disappears, and the purpose is undermined. Ultimately, students end up returning to school just as exhausted as when they left.
“I’m notorious for kind of dying right before break,” sophomore Tucker Orrico said. “I can’t really function anymore.”
The expectation of completing assignments over a vacation further distorts the balance between school work and making sure students have adequate relaxation time. Many students feel weighed down by doing extra work, but some teachers, like math teacher Scott Stengele, recognize the pressures and try to stray away from them.
“I certainly try to avoid giving work over long breaks,” Stengele said. “[However], if you’re not at a point in the curriculum where you are giving a quiz or a test, I can see why some teachers would want to give an assignment.”
Holidays are also often the only time students get to see extended family. If breaks are one of the few chances students get to connect with relatives, they should not have to worry that homework will get in the way.
“I think we deserve a week or two of break without having to worry about what we have to do,” said freshman Lupin Foulks of Keansburg.
Parents also argue that having real time away improves focus once school resumes. According to a survey published by Prodigy Education, a provider of educational games, 66% of parents believe holiday homework interferes with quality time, and 72% want schools to stop assigning it during break. Time off without homework gives them a chance to hit reset, which makes learning easier when classes begin again.
Burnout built up before vacation does not just magically disappear when students return, especially if they had to manage work over the break. If schools truly value student well-being, they need to ensure time off is treated as time off, not just more schoolwork by a different name.
