Category Archives: Students Speak Out

A sophomore wrote the following Comment, which explains not only why students cheat, but gives a pretty good rundown of the types and amount of work many high schoolers get each night. Why I Cheat by a High School Sophomore To start off, I’m a sophomore in a relatively prestigious private institution; I have anContinue reading “A High School Student Speaks Out – Why I Cheat”

I came across this nicely written piece by a teenager in his local newspaper, The Estacada News. Zzz…Teenagers need more sleep School board should consider late start for high school, junior high students BY RUSS CAREY It is time for the Estacada School District to switch the school starting time of the high school andContinue reading “A Teenager Speaks Out – Teens Need More Sleep”

At the end of the school year, I received the following speech from a 16-year-old male student, who is now a junior at a public school in California. He enjoys playing drums, wants to go to Pepperdine University, and told me, “I don’t mean to brag, but the class liked my speech most.” I hopeContinue reading “A Tenth Grader Speaks Out: Slowly Strangled to Silence”

A few weeks ago, I heard from Etta Kralovec, author of The End of Homework, that she is looking for stories about students whose grades were lowered due to homework incompletion. Have you sent her yours? I passed on this email I received from a 19-year-old Australian high school graduate, who is very articulate aboutContinue reading ““My Marks Were Torn to Shreds” For Failure to Complete Homework”

About a year ago, I posted a piece by a New York City private school 10th grader, I love School, but it’s Killing Me. I was reminded of her when I received a call from the mother of a New York City 10th grader, whose daughter was spending 6 hours on homework a night andContinue reading “A Tenth Grader Speaks Out–”My Curiosity and Desire to Learn is Constantly Shrinking” Because of Excessive Homework”

Alfie Kohn, the author of The Homework Myth, sent me the homework of the nine-year-old son of a friend, who was required to put the weekly list of spelling words into sentences: 1. I am sooooo aggravated about my homework situation that I can’t think of anymore sentences. 2. I want to decline this homeworkContinue reading “Rebellious Compliance”

Dear Sara, I’ve seen your website, and I just want to say how grateful I am that someone out there besides my friends and I understand how awful homework is and how it really doesn’t help us learn at all. I’m a freshman at a competitive public high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I’ve always spentContinue reading “From the Mouth of a Ninth Grader”

Kira, an thirteen-year-old eighth grader in a public school in Pennsylvania, sent me the following email: I just want to say I support your website completely, and everything on it is true, and relates to my school experience. My family gets really stressed out, to the point of tears, screaming, or yelling, etc. at leastContinue reading “An Eighth Grader Speaks Out”

The Education System is Cheating Me by a high school senior from southern California I’m a high school senior now. I live in an urban community, meaning that schools in my town are embarrassingly underprivileged. All my life I feel that I’ve been cheated by the traditional education system. All students do is zone outContinue reading “A High School Senior Speaks Out–The Education System is Cheating Me”

Welcome back to Stop Homework. I was really gratified to see that, while I was taking a break from blogging, people were still stopping by, commenting, sending me emails, and talking to each other in the Comments. I especially liked the sharing of ideas, the recommending of articles, and the support people offer each other.Continue reading “Welcome Back (and The AP Song)”