“Students who are over-scheduled in too many activities find that the benefits of participating in out-of-school activities may decrease. Overscheduled children may be tired, irritable, and show little interest in participation” (uwstout.edu). Children ages 8 to 17 worry about doing well in school, sports, and social life. Students report having major headaches, less sleep, and upset stomachs. So, how do students stop this? The students of Edison Intermediate shared their ideas about and experiences with this topic.

This winter, there have been several schedule setbacks for Westfield public schools because of dangerous weather conditions. This extra time in the morning  made students happy. The morning of January 10, 2024, students were excited about their delayed opening regarding flash flood warnings. Students came to school uplifted, excited, and most importantly, energized. The delayed opening allowed students to sleep later and get more done in the morning. This shows that when students get more sleep they have a better day at school and are more likely to remember what they learned that day. 

Let’s see what people in EIS have to say about tiredness in school and what they think causes their tiredness and stress. “School does not help with stress, it is too much work to pile on, I have volleyball practice and have a lot to do every day. Schools need to lessen the workload on students. If not, students will continue to plummet and further fail at school,” explained eighth grade student Lili Schackert.

“After a day at school and lacrosse, I feel pretty tired and don’t have much energy. When I have to do homework after practice, it piles up, and it’s too much for one day. I feel like music helps when I’m stressed,” said eighth grade student at EIS Lorelei Mcgorty. 

This shows that kids feel that the load of work is too much and that they need less homework so they don’t burn out by March. Researchers agree, explaining, “If kids spread themselves too thin, they might not be able to improve their skills much in any specific activity, which can be hard on their confidence. Without enough free time to do whatever they want, kids can get stressed and anxious” (ChildMind). 

Furthermore, when students are overwhelmed with activities they are unable to do things they love and want to excel in. For example, according to research: “Students who are over-scheduled in too many activities find that the benefits of participating in out-of-school activities may decrease. Overscheduled children may be tired, irritable, and show little interest in participation” (uwstout.edu).

Kids may have to stop doing after school activities because of the workload they have. After school most kids have at least homework for 3 classes.  This could be very long homework and the average time it takes for kids to do their homework is 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes. This is a long time as the average and it shows that kids have too much homework daily and is going to affect them in the long run.

Overall, having too much homework and after school activities can be detrimental to a student’s health. Schools should have a lighter workload, providing students with more sleep, and more free time.