October 17, 2017

Life has many pitfalls for the youth to stumble around, but there is one that always seems to trap anyone who nears it. Homework. The inevitable scourge of students everywhere.

There are a million and one reasons why people despise it. It’s too hard, there’s too much, and the plain old “I don’t know how to do it!”

“I can barely maintain focus on things I enjoy,” Libby Zimsen, junior, despaired. She has ADHD, which turns an already difficult task into hell itself.

Homework does not have to be Satan incarnate. All you need to beat it are a few tricks.

“That doesn’t make it easy,” Woon Na, junior, warned. Even if it gets you places, you won’t always recognize where you are.

Everyone knows the usual tips. Go to tutoring, ask a teacher for help, do everything completely opposite of what most students want to do. Teachers do not realize that students egos will not let them admit “defeat”, no matter how much their grades suffer for it.

And if it not ego, a lack of accessibility traps many students.

Many students only transportation is the bus, which, as many know, waits for no one. A slight delay of five minutes can result in a sprint across the school to catch up before the bus pulls away.

It would be impossible to combat either of these forces through traditional means, which means it is time to get creative. 

Here are three tips that anyone can use.

1. Crash course videos

Most people have seen one of John Green’s famous Crash Course videos, especially if they are in an English or History class. Teachers often turn to them when students have trouble understanding a topic. The same can apply for any homework topics that give you trouble!

All you have to do is type “Crash Course” into Google, followed by whatever concept is giving you trouble. There will be a video, even if it’s just a middle school teacher with a whiteboard. Any help you can get will, without a doubt, be beneficial in the long run.

2. Get rides

As previously stated, transportation is a major issue. However, even that can be challenged. Most people know one person who either drives or gets a ride to school. If you trust them, do not be afraid to ask for a ride.

If the thought of asking gives you anxiety, remember that life is not a movie. They will not laugh in your face and call you a loser. So long as they are a decent person, chances are they will stay with you after school. Maybe if you ask, it will give them an excuse to stay after and do their homework.

3. Do as much as possible in class

It is easier for students to focus on work in an environment of learning. At home, there are a dozen and a half distractions. Your dogs need a walk, chores need to be done, the car needs an oil change, or the yard is a mess go rake it right now!

School does not have these distractions. If you can do most of your homework in class, you can minimize the amount you need to do at home.

Teachers agree that doing your homework in class is a definite help to finishing homework. Anna Whitwell, a French teacher, does stress that homework is not classwork, and should be done at home.

Doing homework is important. Students need all of the benefits it can give.

“It allows [students] to review what they had in class that day or helps them prepare for a big project,” Whitwell said.

Homework is painful. No one can deny it. However it can be finished in the end.