THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HOMEWORK

The smile of the devil – that’s the smile on my teacher’s face as she hands out the 5th homework assignment this week. I have a 4-week relaxing holiday planned out this semester break! She just had to ruin everything. I did not understand my teacher’s intentions, nor did I understand why she would sacrifice hours, burning the midnight oil, just to mark our assignments. I mean, would it not be better for her and for us if she just doesn’t give homework? As the saying goes in Malaysia, “You’re happy, I’m happy, everyone is happy”. However, as I grinded through the hours trying complete my homework, I realised, that there is more than what meets the eye. Homework is not meant to kill you, it is meant to help you.


Homework is a way for teachers to gauge a student’s abilities as well as to correct their mistakes. After all, the secret to improving is not just practice, but perfect practice. It is possible for even the brightest students to make a mistake they do not know about. Thus, it is the teacher’s responsibility to find out what those mistakes are and to correct it. This is very important because if these mistakes are not corrected as soon as possible, it will become a habit. Once it becomes a habit, it only gets harder and harder to correct. Although homework is time-consuming and frustrating to do at times, we should understand that homework is going to help you improve. After all, you cannot change something you don’t know.

Homework not only helps students stay away from bad habits, it also helps them build good habits. Doing homework is a form of active recalling; the brain is forced to send electrical impulses to retrieve information from the thousands of neurons in the brain. Just like any other muscle in the body, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Thus, each time you answer a question correctly, you reinforce the notion that it is correct. Similarly, each time you answer a question wrongly, you reinforce the notion that it is incorrect. The ability to clearly differentiate between what is right and what is wrong is going to give you the confidence to take ownership of your knowledge and ace the exams and homework helps you accomplish just that.

Although homework is very important for students to improve themselves, there is a downside to this – homework is very time-consuming. This is especially frustrating to students who wish to prioritize studying their weaker subjects, yet they have a lot of other homework to do. As homework is given as a one-for-all package, the homework given is not tailored to each student’s needs. This leads to stress and confusion on whether or not one should do homework. I personally would prioritize my weaker subjects rather than to do homework when such an occasion arises. However, I would try and complete my homework as soon as I have the time; it is not a valid excuse to not do homework at all. It is very important that you do not stress yourself over this. If you really are unable to finish your homework, just explain it to your teachers; I am sure they will understand.

Homework is meant to help you, not to kill you. That devil’s smile on my teacher’s face? I have come to realized that it was never meant to be the smile of a devil, it was a smile of love and compassion. Underneath that smile is a teacher who only wants the best for her students. Little did I know back then, that whatever homework she gave us, she herself had to do tenfold the work, unpaid work. Yet, she never complained or showed her sweat and tears; she knew it was for our good. What did she get in return? Lashes of anger and words of frustration from the students over something as menial as homework. That smile, I realized, was only a mask to hide her own pain.

Nowadays whenever I do my homework, I feel blessed. Thank you, teacher, for everything.