“When are we ever going to use this in real life?”

I hear this question from students often, especially when they are doing a long, boring homework assignment.

My honest answer is “probably never”.

Teachers do assign homework for a reason though. It is to emphasize a concept that was taught in class. It is to give students a chance to practice before a test. It is to make sure students understand the material, and alerts teachers to whether or not a student is doing well with certain subject matter.

Homework is also easy points. You get an assignment. You have unlimited time and resources (including the study hut) to finish it. You turn it in. 100%. The alternative: you don’t do your homework and your grade in the class can drop a letter grade, if not more.

The bottom line is that doing homework is crucial to doing well in a class. If a student does all their homework, they are guaranteed to understand the material better than if they are lazy and only do the in-class assignments. It is also a plus when it comes time to study for a test. Doing homework is like reviewing for a test so when it comes time for the next exam, the student will have a much easier time studying for that test and will do better on the exam, guaranteed!

So when students complain about their homework, I let them know that the more they complain, the more time they waste, the longer it will take them to get their homework done, and the less free time they will have. Doing your homework is like earning free points and I am always there to help them with their assignments.

Although students will probably never have to use matrices if they decide they want to become a lawyer and they really won’t have to know who fought in the battle of 1812 if they want to become a doctor, they will need to know these things for next week’s test.