Teachers are concerned by students who show signs of being overworked and stressed by homework.  Common signs of stress include showing fear, anxiety, frustration, and having headaches.Some teachers try to limit homework assignments to help students manage stress. .

“I try to think about it less in terms of the amount because I think that’s tricky, I think about it in terms of is it relevant? Does it matter to students? Is it actually going to help extend their learning? and is there any reason it can’t happen in school?” says Matt Reed, an ASL and Geography teacher at Lincoln high school.

Lincoln is known for its high academic level and its IB program. When it comes to homework, students receive different amounts based on their classes.

“Lately I have not been getting that much homework, but I think that it was also the first semester of freshman year so it, it was a little bit easier then what the rest of highschool is gonna be like,” says Gabbie Shaffer, a freshman at Lincoln.

When  asked how he coped  with high stress levels caused by large amounts of homework, senior Michael Yoo said  “I drink tea, sometimes I sleep, which isn’t too good, but it works sometimes.” He also said that he “tries to reduce stress levels by doing as much as he can at school.”

Shaffer deals with her stress in a different way. “I go to practice and it just helps me kind of forget about the stress I have, and It helps me take out a little bit of aggression,” said Shaffer.

Some teachers  find that when students get involved with after school activities, they show more signs of focus.

“They tend to be a little more regimented in terms of, okay I have an hour after school, I have to get my stuff done, as opposed to, well I have three hours after school and I just kind of get it done when I get it done,” says Mrs. Eisenberg, a FLI, History and IB history teacher at Lincoln.

However, some students struggle with having extracurriculars.

“Oh yeah, it happened in the class period I was just in…but another student was feeling really stressed about it. And it was distracting them from their learning; like really distracting them from being able to focus on ASL today,” said Reed.