Let me start by saying that I hate homework!
I hate homework so much that I’m beginning to think that I hate school too.
That’s not a thought I want to continue having, not now, not ever.
So, several months ago, I had a meeting with myself. I asked myself the questions below and tried coming up with honest answers that would help me speed up my homework.
Why do I hate home?
Why do we do homework?
Why do people hate homework?
How can I force myself to do homework?
Some answers, I found, were a bit personal, and some had nothing to do with you and me. But everything to do with the education system and how educators assume that high school and college kids spend their time playing video games instead of doing homework.
As a result, in their attempt to keep school kids productive and remind them about the importance of school, schools grade homework, therefore, making it mandatory for the kids to do the work.
What Can Be Done About It?
If educators knew better, they would handle homework differently so that the kids that hate homework and school would learn a few tricks that can help them love homework and not hate school so much.
Some of the things they can do differently include:
- Not Grading Homework
Most teachers believe that if they don’t grade it, a kid not doing homework will spend his or her time playing video games.
The truth is many kids don’t do homework anyway, and those that do don’t put in any effort or do it themselves.
So while it may be true that homework helps to reinforce concepts the teachers share in class and teach responsibility, it’s better not to grade homework and provide better ways to look at it, so the students don’t hate doing homework and look forward to doing it wholeheartedly.
- Telling Students the Importance of Doing Homework
If teachers want their students to be more inclined to do their homework, they should explicitly explain to them why it is important for them and how it improves their learning.
- Making Homework Feel Authentic
Give students reason to want to do the homework by making them feel like they are making a difference in the world. For instance, I hate doing homework because in most cases it feels useless. So, encourage the students to brainstorm ideas on how to improve the environment instead of always asking them to write an assignment on topics like global warming or recycling.
Kids are more likely to do their homework if they know that by doing so, they will be making a difference in their towns or at home rather than asking them to write an argumentative essay on a topic that may not be interesting to them.
- Using Technology Where Necessary
If teachers want to increase students’ long term retention and stop seeing them hate homework, then they should encourage them to practice math problems.
I used to be slow when doing my math homework that each time I sat down to work, it felt like I was trying to ask a squirrel to do for me.
I discovered sites like Khan Academy that provide mini-lessons on how to do anything and realized that if teachers could include such videos to go with assigned problems, students wouldn’t hate doing homework or even school so much.
- Encouraging Class Discussions
If teachers want students to retain the information and knowledge they impart in class for much longer, they should promote class discussions. Unlike homework assignments, which most students hate doing, having students discuss various topics in class can be a natural way to help them sharpen their debating skills and increase their interest in a particular topic.
- Including Observations
Today, people are worried about this generation of kids: they’re always on their phones, on their TV and laptops playing video games, on social media talking to strangers, saying “I hate homework”, “I don’t want to go out”… they have no clue what is going on in the world.
If teachers want to save this generation of kids, they should introduce learning experiences that ask the students to be outdoors more often, study nature, or be more observant.
By encouraging observations about the world they live in, the teachers will be making the concepts they teach in the class feel more real while also teaching them to be present and more curious about the world, without forcing them to do homework.
- Encouraging Interactions
Interactions help kids learn how to be good people who can successfully connect with others.
Encouraging kids to have meaningful and respectful conversations can also help them bring up questions from class to family gatherings. If they hate doing homework or have interpersonal problems with their classmates, they should be able to share it with you. They could learn from everyone in the group and help improve their learning and retain the knowledge in the long run.
- Providing Feedback
Students will feel more encouraged to complete their homework if they know the teachers will take the time to provide feedback that will help them better retain knowledge the teachers provide for a long time.
How to Do Homework Fast Even If You Hate Homework
What if homework remains the same? I mean, when no one does anything to make the situation any better and you still hate homework, do we stop doing it?
Remember, I said the answers to some questions were personal? Well, let me share how they helped me come up with a routine that helps me do my homework fast even if I hate homework. This routine can help you do the same too!
Let’s dive in!
- Make Yourself a Study Snack
- Create a Homework Plan
- Reward Yourself for All the Hard Work
- Clear Your Desk
- Set a Timer
- Write Down Questions
- Cross Out Your To-Do As You Go
- Make a New To-Do List for Tomorrow
After a long day at school, the first thing I usually do when I get home is making myself a little study snack to fuel my brain and get ready to do my homework. But other times, if I’m pretty hungry, I go for something more substantial like a protein smoothie or a sandwich. After I’ve made something to eat, I head over to my study.
It’s time to get serious and tackle that homework now.
The first thing I do is get out of my diary and see what sort of work I have for the week. I then go over to my homework plan, a simple whiteboard I have in my room that helps me organize my study sessions into tiny tasks that I can handle, one after the other.
So, even if you don’t fancy the idea of a snack, I implore you to have a homework plan; it’s the one thing that will show you how to force yourself to do your homework.
In your homework plan, write down all of the tasks you have for homework and then order it according to their level of priority before getting started. Doing this will help you focus on the most critical and urgent work.
Rewarding yourself for all your hard work can affect your level of motivation and help you stay on track throughout your studies, forgetting that you hate doing homework. So, I like writing down the rewards I can give myself. I’ve found that spoiling yourself can prevent you from getting burnt out or feeling stressed and restless from all the work you need to complete.
Do not have too many things on your desk while you are studying. My mom always encourages my sister and me to have the necessities so that we can work better and be able to focus on one task at a time without getting distracted.
As a result, I like to have the textbooks I need for that subject, my laptop, and class notes. But something else I recommend having and that I always try to have on my desk these days is a jug of water or just a bottle of water because it will remind me to drink and stay hydrated.
Alright now, on to the homework…
In the past, I was plodding when it came to doing homework.
Not only was that time consuming, but it was tiring too. I could spend almost an hour on a single math problem!
But when I started doing my homework using this strategy, I discovered that setting a timer either on your phone or using a Pandora helps in writing your homework fast. I found that working in 25 to 30-minute blocks and then taking a five to 10-minute break is most effective when it comes to staying focused and working effectively.
I tend to use my breaks to either make a cup of tea because I find it calming or drink something that requires me to get up and out of my desk so that I don’t start to get restless.
After my short break, I go back to my desk to continue with my homework. As I do that, I like to write down questions as I go. The reason for this is that when I write my questions down, I don’t tend to ruminate on things, and I feel confident that my teacher can answer my questions when we meet.
Writing down questions can get you into the habit of being organized.
Whenever I work through my list of tasks, whether it’s homework or other to Do’s, I like to tick them off or cross them out as I go. I find this useful for increasing my motivation because I can see how far I’m getting.
Ticking tasks off my list is also useful for helping me keep track of the workload and see how efficient I’m being.
I learned this concept from my psychology teacher; he taught me that as I get closer to winding up my study session, I should use the last few minutes to finish up what I’m doing and make a note of what I still need to complete the following day.
I love this approach because it helps you to ease out of your study sessions gradually, and you are also less likely to stop midway through a task just because the timer went off.
In conclusion, teachers should find a better way to help us love homework and school. However, if they don’t do anything, we should all find our little ways to force ourselves to do our homework even if we hate doing it.
