With spring break coming up, as most, if not all, highschool students will tell you, having homework over a break is one of the most dreaded parts of having time off. Hoping to escape schoolwork for roughly nine days out of the semester seems like a small thing to ask for, however many teachers continue to produce an increasing number of assignments in their Google Classrooms.

This creates an opportunity to beg the question, are scheduled breaks (such as winter break and spring break) really breaks at all? While it is true that students and staff get to stay home from school or work for a little while, when homework, projects and essays are assigned during the short time we are supposed to be recharging for the rest of the year, it can create even more stress on students. 

In several of my classes, I have already been assigned homework to be completed by the time I return from the week-long break. This continual workload makes it seem like there is no end in sight for my schoolwork, even though I should be looking forward to the time off. Many teachers may not consider this when making assignments for the break.

While it is true that continued learning is important to retaining knowledge, the last real break highschoolers had was over 80 days ago. 80 days straight of continuous education has been occurring throughout the district since winter break, one week off from schoolwork surely can’t hurt, especially when in regards to the mental health of students.

To educators across the district, but particularly at the highschool level, please take into consideration the mental wellbeing of your students, as well as the workload they have been enduring since the start of the semester. Think about the travels students may be having over spring break, and if you would want to have that work assigned to you.

In the end, making and giving assignments during breaks is unprincipled. Students work hard throughout the semester, only for it to be made seemingly endless by nonstop tasks during their vacation. Teachers should take the above into account when debating whether or not to assign work to their students over this year’s spring break.