Can a homework helper support good mental health?

Homework is kind of a core element of a student's school & college life. Teachers start assigning homework from elementary grade and the process continues all the way up to college & university level which means a student deals with homework over a period of approx. 18-20 years of his or her life. Hence anything practiced for that long is bound to create a long lasting impact on mental health.

Let’s review some information on how much time a student in the USA should spends on homework as per Harris M. Cooper of Duke University:

• K - 2 grades take around 10-20 minutes
• 3 - 6 take around 30-60 minutes
• Junior high - 90 minutes
• High school - 90 minutes - 2.5 hours

It is a rough estimation, but homework time can vary from topic, subject to other factors. But honestly, homework is not about time; it is about effort and learning.

Over the last few decades, multiple studies have shown that homework can help inculcate some core skills in a child such as responsible behavior, perseverance, ability to manage distractions etc. But the assumption in all this is that a student is actually able to cope up with homework and hence able to see a positive impact in the long run.

Situation where homework can lead to mental stress & anxiety in students

Now imagine a student who is falling behind in class and not able to handle his or her homework assignments independently. Many of us would have experienced this in school/college, that topics of science and geometry seemed so easy and doable. The moment you came back home to solve the same questions, they started dancing and even after multiple tries you don’t succeed. When this happens repeatedly, a child can start to lose self-confidence and stop asking the right questions in class which in turn makes the situation worse and in the end not only leads to lack of interest in a subject but also adds mental stress and anxiety in students.

In the United States, almost 1 in 5 adults experience mental health problems each year. An estimated 11.2 million adults in the U.S., or about 4.5% of adults, had a severe psychological condition, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Many students experience stress or anxiety before an assignment is due for submission, test and even exams. However, when this distress becomes excessive and goes unaddressed for a long duration, the student is highly likely to experience a state of depression as per research from Mayo Clinic.

Challenges faced by students with respect to homework

Let’s understand the two main types of challenges students may face with regards to completing homework independently.

1. Teaching style not matching with child’s learning preferences:

We all use our senses in a different way to process information around us and hence some children learn best visually versus others may use repetition or writing to learn things.

In school, a teacher is restricted by time and the number of students per class and hence even if he/she tries best to explain a particular concept, it is very hard to ensure that everyone in the class understood it completely and will be able to use the information discussed in class to solve homework questions independently.

2. Lack of clarity in terms of deliverables or expectations:

The other common reason for a child struggling constantly with homework is due to not knowing exactly what to expect from the homework and hence he/she may end-up spending either too less time in answering the questions or in other situations may end-up spending too much time and energy in researching the details of the homework questions. In both scenarios, once again the student might feel lost when working on homework assignments independently.

This is the time when a child needs someone right by their side to guide them on their homework assignment. The tutor, coach, guide or mentor can be available in person or nowadays there are a lot of online tutoring companies that offer high quality homework help service to help/guide students with their homework questions around the clock.

Key things to check when choosing a homework help website

How to make sure that a particular homework help website is trustworthy? Let’s make a checklist and see.

1. Check the reviews of the website and see what students and tutors are saying about it.
2. Go for a demo session and look for the quality session provided by them.
3. Chat/talk to the team and judge them on various parameters like how to do they:

• Interact with you
• Is the information provided is genuine
• Do they look reliable?
• Compare them with other homework help websites
• Ask them questions, unless your doubts are clear
• If you are satisfied with all the above points, try taking their service and see the results.

So, use homework to your advantage and improve your grades as well as personality by completing homework on time. Remember, if you find yourself stuck with homework assignments on an ongoing basis then it's time to ask for help and not continue fighting the homework battles all alone. This way you can leave all the stress behind & come out stronger & healthier.