Why Too Much Homework Causes Depression And How To Solve The Problem

There is a growing research to suggest that students who have too much homework maybe more susceptible too depression. This is a major concern for students, their parents, their teachers, and our society as a whole. School, and the assigments in it, are meant to enrich students lives and help them grow into more successful and well rounded adults. If it is true got an excess of homework can lead to depression in students, then this could be working against the goal of our education system.

Consider these points about the link between school work and depression:

• - In some ways it is too simplistic to say that homework causes depression. Instead, the more realistic and comprehensive statement is that too much homework can cause stress and this stress can cause depression. It is also true that it is not just an issue quantity it is also an issue of quality. If our students are only being assigned busywork that they do not find fulfilling, that does not exercise their creativity, and that bores them, when they have a lot of it to do they will only feel stress and will not feel any of the positive emotions that come with doing fulfilling work.
• - It is also important that recognize that growing and developing students have lots of different sides to them that must be developed in order for them to be happy and healthy. The learning that they do in school is just one of the kinds of learning that they are doing. It is also important for them to have space and time to do social learning, where they learn how to get along with other people, how to make and maintain friendships, and how to be a good neighbor and member of our society. When students have too many assignments they don’t have enough time to do this social learning, nor do they have enough time for the kind of physical exercise and play that is also important in their development. Assignments must be balanced with other activities.
• - Of course too much workload is not going to cause depression in every student. But it certainly could help in contributing to it in students that are already predisposed to it. And this is as much of a problem. Our education system should work to teacher these student healthy outlets for dealing with depression, not adding to it.