The Super Bowl is here, and as it was in last year, the Hingham High School enacted a homework-free weekend to allowed teachers and students alike to enjoy the game without stressing about work.

Mrs. Marshall, an English teacher at Hingham High, is one of many in the school community who supports no homework weekends. Of the concept in general, she enthuses, “It’s a wonderful idea. I think that we are in general a stressed, overworked nation. I know I myself would like to spend more time with my family.”

Commenting on this weekend’s no homework decree, she adds, “I think Super Bowl weekend is a great time to do it because we’re all rallying around the Patriots and we can all spend this time with our family.”

Many students also enjoy the reprieve from homework-induced stress. Sophomore Olivia Barbuto remarked, “The amount of homework we usually receive is so stressful and gives us no time to just hang out and relax, so I’m always excited for homework free weekends!”

This small break alleviates students’ stress tremendously and allows for time to get adequate sleep, so all teachers must honor it, right?

Unfortunately, there are teachers who bypass the rule. Sometimes a teacher is forgiving and only assigns a short worksheet. Other times, a class may be behind and necessitate a few book problems outside the classroom.

However, it seems like some teachers flout the rule for no good reason. The most prevalent tactic is to give several days’ worth of homework and set the due date to Tuesday instead of Monday, so students technically have a day after the weekend to complete the homework. But, given the volume of the assignment, students usually end up doing homework over the weekend anyway.

The students of such teachers frequently voice their dissent. Sophomore Riley Potter, who is faced with homework and a test immediately upon returning from the no homework weekend in her geometry class, asserts, “We should not have homework over the homework free weekend because it is one of our rare times to relax and sleep.”

Many teachers, too, disapprove of this underhanded method. Mrs. Black, a social studies teacher, explained, “If it’s something really important that has to get done as quickly as possible, I understand. If it is something that can get done Monday night, I think it’s fair. But if it’s a much larger assignment, I think that defeats the purpose of a no homework weekend.”

Mrs. Black also acknowledged the high stress levels students these days are enduring, empathetically and intelligently calling the benefit of homework into question. She argues, “Even though I think work outside the classroom is important, there have been a lot of studies that debate the efficacy of assigning homework in the first place. So, while we still debate homework’s merit, I think it’s good to at least give a weekend as a break.”

Given the merits of no homework weekends, it seems reasonable to request compliance from teachers who usually circumvent the rule. No homework weekends should be students’ time to unwind and get a few good nights of sleep amid the chaos of balancing school work with all other aspects of life, as well as an opportunity for everyone to spend more time with family.