How does home work affect student’s mental health?
Why is mental well being important to students?
First it is because they are still growing and laying the foundation for their future. Second, is because they are still naive and any provocation of the mind might overwhelm them, driving them to the wrong path. Their minds are still not of age and can be easily controlled.
Many students are handed assignments to finish up at home and return them completed for marking the next day. But is homework affecting their mental in any way? This article will share various reasons which affect tutees mental health and offer solutions.
Related Reading: 12 Types of Poetry
How student’s mental health is affected by homework
No support from Parents
When students don’t get the support they need from their parents, then they start feeling lonely and withdraw themselves from the family. This affects them even when they are doing their homework as they cannot seek help from their parents. Some of the students will go as far as refusing to open up to their parents when they need some other help because they see them not having time to listen. The teachers might do everything possible at school to help the students but when they reach home, everything changes.
Solution:
Parents should be close to their children and walk with them throughout their learning journey. Being close to the students will help them notice any signs of mental distress. They should not shy away from discussing the challenges their children face together with the teacher.
Teamwork is important as it will offer solutions quickly.
Pressure from Teachers
All the teachers want their students to perform well in their studies. Though they mean well, they pressure them to study hard by giving them more assignments to do at home. This doesn’t give a chance for the student to relax. They also live in perpetual fear because they know they might be punished the following day if they don’t do the homework.
Solution:
Home assignments should be moderate. Giving excess homework to students will overwhelm them and eventually make them loose focus. Students will start working on quantity rather than quality of the assignments. Therefore, teachers should read the mind of their students and understand how much of the homework can they take in. It is good when they hold discussions with them to agree on what they are both comfortable with.
Lack of organizational Skills
The homework might not be too much but the student is short of organization skills. Or the student cannot manage their time well. This makes them unable to divide time between home assignments ending up doing some and leaving others out. The result is anxiety which can affect their sleep which is much needed for mental wellbeing. At that age students should have a quality sleep for the mind to function well. But when they are not able to finish their homework in time, it deprives them of enough sleep.
Solution:
Students should utilize the guidance of their teachers to plan their homework well. Also they should plan their home chores well so that they can finish them in time to work on their homework. They should also give allocate just enough for each assignment.
Parent and teacher expectations
All parents envisage a better future for their children, same to teachers to their students. But no better future comes without hard work and this they know well. This is why both parents and teachers push their children to do better in their studies, because they have great expectations from them. However, these expectations tend to put more pressure on students, and some may break under its weight. These expectations mostly results in burnout as well anxiety because the students worry about failing their parents or teachers.
Solution:
Though expectations are there, both parents and teachers should understand that everyone is different and talents are not the same. By sitting down with the students they can come with ways of improving on the weak points without putting too much pressure on them.
Academic performance
Some students are slow learners and may find it difficult doing homework without the guidance of their teacher or parent. So when they are handed a lot of assignments, they cannot find their balance and may end up doing it wrongly or mixing things up. Also some students are special and may not be good in class work but in extracurricular activities. But instead of teachers letting them grow in what they feel comfortable in, they push them to excel in class work. This will affect their academic performance eventually even when they are given homework daily.
Solution:
The educators should strive to learn in which section their students excel in. They should encourage them to talk it out. This way they can get to know the strengths of their students and encourage them in the field they have passion in. Also the parents should be aware of the progress of their children all the times. They should encourage improvement every time the assessments are done. This makes the students feel a sense of belonging.
Behavioral changes
Most of the students fall into teenage bracket. During this age, the body is changing swiftly and it is at this juncture the student needs the parent and teacher to be close and guide them. It is at this time also when the student can be swayed easily to do anything, for their mind can be controlled easily. Some students due to peer pressure refuse to do their homework completely because they feel like it is a waste of time. Others even cannot find a moment to talk to their teacher or parent when they have a problem, instead seeking help from fellow age mates.
Solution:
The parents and educators should monitor the behavior of the student keenly. At the slightest sign of any negative change, they should put it to stop immediately. However they should not judge them when they do wrong, instead they should point to them the consequences of their actions. Slowly the student will understand their wrongdoings and will seek the right path.
Finally
Homework is crucial for the students. It is like a mirror which enables them to gauge their strengths and weaknesses. Through homework, students can detect gray areas where they need more help. It also improves on their relationship with parents, teachers and other students.
The most important thing is for students to apply time management skills so as to balance school and home life. The parents should be their children friends and confidants. They should open the channels of communication with them. This makes it easy for the students to share their fears. The same goes for the teachers. The students should also respect both their parents and teachers because they have lived long and understand how to cope with the challenges of life.
Also, students are encouraged to de-stress by avoiding things that can come between them and their studies, i.e. partying too much, being in the wrong company of friends etc. Also they should feel free to seek help when they feel they can’t cope anymore. Students should understand that challenges are there and they should find ways to mitigate them.