In March 2020, the world was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  During the original lockdown period, our devices became our main link to the outside world.  This was especially true of our education.  Applications like Google Classroom, that used to be a secondary form of assignment submission, became essential.  With remote learning, there was simply no other way to assign and collect work from students. 

However, now that we are all back in our classrooms and trying to regain some pre-COVID-19 normalcy, many teachers have continued to use this new method to assign work to be due outside of school hours.  This infringes on students’ personal lives and has many negative effects on students. 

“Teachers don’t consider that we have jobs and other commitments and cannot drop everything to complete an assignment due at 7 p.m.,” said senior Ella Psaltos.

In the increasingly competitive quest to get into good colleges, students feel pressure to participate in a myriad of extracurricular activities, and take on rigorous course loads.  These clubs and activities often take up large amounts of time right after school, giving students packed schedules that run until late at night.   For students that participate in activities like sports and theater, which have practice every day, it can be difficult to have time to complete assignments.

This also holds true for students that have jobs.  Many students spend time working after school, often to save money for college.  Teachers cannot possibly be aware of all their students’ work schedules and when their shifts are.

 Imagine you are a student at Schreiber, and you are planning ahead for college.  You know that you will need to participate in extracurricular activities, so you go to a club every day after school.  In order to save money for college, you have to work for three hours after going to your extracurricular for the day.  At this point, you have been busy for four hours of precious after-school time, simply trying to advance your chances at getting into a good school.  You get home at 7 p.m., only to check Google Classroom and realize that your homework for one of your classes is due at 8 p.m.  In that moment of sheer panic, the tremendous burden of pressure is of no benefit to any high schooler. 

There is absolutely no reason why a student should have to endure the stress of rushing to get an assignment done before a certain time that is not inside of school hours. 

Then when should assignments be due? 

“Assignments should be due during class so students can use all of the time up until class, rather than have it due before class because in the past, teachers used to only be able to collect assignments during the physical class period,” said senior Kaeleigh Romero. 

Handing in assignments at the beginning of class can be beneficial to students in many ways.  It helps students alleviate some of the stress from having an overabundance of homework to complete after school hours.  In addition, this format of submitting assignments allows students to create time for relaxing with friends and family, which we all need for mental health and wellbeing.  Students should not be in class all day, practicing for a debate all afternoon, rushing to their shift at work for the evening, and then running home to complete their homework, study, and stress out over last-minute assignments that are doled out on Google Classroom.  It is simply not in their best interest. 

In past years, before COVID-19, paper assignments were handed in during the class period.  What could possibly be easier about students submitting assignments online at random times during the night?  It just does not make sense.