As my eyes begin to grow heavy I glance at the clock, it reads 4:30 AM. “Just two more assignments,” I think to myself to encourage me from falling asleep. Two hours later I finally complete the assignment. I take a huge sigh of relief and once again check the clock to see how many hours I have left to sleep. None. I stand up and begin to prepare myself for the long weary day ahead.

For an average high school student, this is the hardship placed on them nearly every single day. Personally, I usually get between zero to three hours of sleep every night. Throughout the school day I struggle to keep my eyes open long enough to get to the next period. I often have to drink two cups of coffee throughout the day. I know, it’s sad. A high-schooler drinking coffee. Coffee is what the adults drink before their long stressful days at work, or for college students attempting to last through a four-hour long lecture.

Even so, these long hours of studying and hard working, won’t get us into colleges, at least not anymore. They say we need to learn to balance all our classes, but today it’s more like balancing all your classes, three sports, five clubs, a job, a social life and so much more. If teachers gave less homework, maybe students would be able to better prepare themselves for college.

With all this added stress placed on us, when are we supposed to enjoy our lives? Do we have to wait an entire year for summer break to relax and have fun? Our high school and teenage years are supposed to be the best of our lives. You see it in all the movies, high school is a time when you branch out of your friend group, go out to parties every weekend, stay up late talking to friends, meet new people, make lifelong friends, and more. It’s also a time when you prepare yourself for the life experiences you will encounter as adults in the real world. How are we supposed to do this if we are stuck at our desks all day and night.

However the excessive homework given to students by teachers can’t all be blamed on the teachers. Yes, they are the ones giving it to us but the students are the reason they are giving it. Many students feel that class is a time to socialize with their friends or take a nap. As a result of their behavior, teachers are unable to teach the required standards. So when it comes to reducing the amount of homework given, it is dependent on both the teacher’s and student’s ability to work together complete the lessons during class time rather than after school as homework.