October brings a change in the weather, and this can trigger Seasonal Depression (also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder). More than just a drop in temperature, many other factors can cause this feeling of sadness and strain. 

One major aspect is struggling with time management, and getting back into the routine of school. Students often work until late at night, and don’t have enough time to spend with family or friends because they are trying to get caught up on assignments. 

It’s almost a month-and-a-half into the school year, and students are already feeling the stress. Important testing has begun, an immense amount of homework is being assigned, and even teachers are getting stressed over their lesson plans and grading.  Wouldn’t a homework-free weekend be great right now?

Last year, Emerson had a total of four homework-free weekends. While the concept is great, are four enough?  It is important to allow students to take a break from busy, sometimes stressful, school weeks which can take a toll on their mental health. Homework-free weekends allow students to focus on their interests, spend time with friends and family, and take the time to do what’s needed to boost their well being – whether that’s sleeping in, playing sports, or simply just relaxing at home. 

“Homework Free Weekends are a great idea! They give students a chance to decompress from the week and participate in extracurricular activities or social events,”says Ashley Gordon, Emerson’s School Clinician. 

Finding joy in sports, clubs, or activities can definitely help students navigate stress and feelings of frustration.  Emerson Jr. Sr. High School offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities that give students an opportunity to take their minds off of the stress of school, and focus on activities they are passionate about such as Football, Cheerleading, Soccer, Track, Tennis, and Volleyball for Fall Season Sports; Wrestling, Winter Track, Bowling, Skiing and Snowboarding, Basketball, Competition Cheerleading for Winter Season Sports; and Lacrosse, Baseball, Spring Track, and Softball for Spring Season Sports. 

Emerson offers a healthy variety of clubs, too! Students can join Art Club, Autism Awareness, Cavo Cancer Crushers, Chess Club, Debate, Drone Racing, Journalism, Key Club, Rock Climbing Club, Ski and Snowboard Club, and so many more!  By visiting Emersonschools.org, students can take a look at the amazing list of options to choose from, become more involved with their school’s community, and thrive as they enjoy themselves. 

Students aren’t the only ones who benefit from these homework free weekends, though.  It is also important to not forget the teachers’ perspective on the work they have to do as being role models for their students by grading homework and formal assessments, coaching sports, and making lesson plans for the following weeks. A lot of pressure is put on teachers to make sure they are doing their jobs by giving their students the opportunity to learn and explore more on a subject or lesson.  They need to take care of themselves so they can help take care of others. 

“Truthfully, I have a spectrum of responses given the different grades and levels that I teach. For the classes I do assign homework for, I think it’s a nice break for both myself and the students. For the twelfth grade, I wouldn’t say I assign as much homework because most of my assignments have to be completed in class, but I think the idea of a homework-free weekend is a great time to catch up on missing work from any class. It doesn’t follow the homework-free concept, but I think it’s great to have a definitive weekend where neither students nor teachers should think about [additional/new] work outside of school,” says Qynn Pascual, English teacher and 7th Grade Class Advisor.

Time management is definitely a very important skill to have, but stress management figures in there, too.  Fortunately, there is relief on the horizon.  Emerson’s first homework-free weekend is scheduled for October 22nd and 23rd – midway through the first marking period.  In fact, each marking period will have a designated homework-free weekend halfway through it.  

Homework-free Weekends for 2022-2023

● October 22nd and 23rd
● Winter Break
● March 11th and 12th
● May 20th and 21st

Are four enough?  Will there be more?  Follow GoCavos.org to keep up on updates!