As high school students finish their busy school days, they want nothing more than to go home and relax, but with the amount of studying and homework that needs to be completed, it’s almost impossible to do. According to statistics, 24% of parents say their high schooler’s stress is caused by the amount of homework given on a daily basis. With the lack of sleep and free time as a result of homework overload, students come to school every day feeling exhausted. A great way to lighten the issue is to make academic lab an addition to students’ schedule on regular school days.

Academic lab is the 35 minutes students get that goes towards homework time, teacher assistance, and other activities. It may not seem like it, but 35 minutes of work time can dramatically reduce the after school workload. During the school day, students are already in a working mentality, so work will get done quicker and more efficiently during the time. Whether students decide to use their time for studying, doing homework, or getting help from a teacher, the amount of confusion and work at home will be greatly reduced.

This time could be used as a time to get away from the hectic school day and relax. At home, students spend most of their valuable time procrastinating doing unnecessary things, such as getting lost in the depths of social media or even reading a good book. During academic lab, students could read their books or do what usually distracts them at home so they could get it out of their system. During a day packed with school, classes, extracurriculars, and homework, it could be hard to find a second in the day to relax, so those 35 minutes would make a huge difference in the day.

This time could also be dedicated to making up late or absent work and catching up on lessons. If students don’t understand the newly learned lessons, they can go get help from their teachers during academic lab, instead of coming in early, wasting their lunchtimes or staying late after school. Not understanding assignments and lessons leads to higher stress levels at home and additional studying, so getting help from teachers is crucial.

Projects and group studies could also be completed during academic lab as well. Group projects are challenging to complete before the deadline, since in most cases there isn’t enough class time given. Academic lab would be a great time for groups to get together and work on projects during the school day.

The inclusion of academic lab on regular days will make an obvious difference in a student’s after school homework and will greatly reduce the daily stress. With this reduction, students can strive to be the best they can be, without the added workload.