If I’m being honest, despite my adamant dislike for homework throughout my entire school experience, I do see its value. Homework in moderation, and especially for advanced courses, has definitely helped my understanding of material in many classes.

In AP classes, or even just core subjects, homework ensures that students get a more thorough understanding of complex material. Because homework mirrors what students learn in class, students receive a first teaching of the material, and then homework locks the information in when they return to the material later in their day or week. In my own classes, I have found that even if I don’t always want to do additional work when I get home, hitting the subject again definitely aids in my understanding of it.

For advanced or AP classes, many could not adequately prepare students without the use of homework. Time in class is limited, and it would be impossible for teachers to teach all the AP coursework and sufficiently prepare and review for the exam only using the in-class time. In the case of AP classes, homework is definitely necessary.

However, even for regular level classes, a certain amount of homework can still be very beneficial. As students progress through high school, most classes build upon something that was learned the previous year. Because of this, it is imperative that students have a good understanding of classes and can maintain this understanding for the future. Again, homework helps cement students’ learning so they can carry it with them throughout high school.

Finally, homework also helps students learn to manage their time since they must get work done at home rather than at school, supervised by a teacher. Homework requires students to get work done on their own time, and allows them to balance their free time by themselves. This is an important life skill, and learning it in a safe high school environment can be invaluable to students.