[carlie_592]

My school starts at 8:30 and ends at 3:00 but I usually have extra curricular activities so I don't leave school until 4:30. It takes me about a half hour to walk home since I live far so once I get home it would be about 5:15. After I get home I practice the piano for an hour and a half (that's what my teacher wants) and after that it would be around 6:45 or so. Then I have to practice my clarinet for a half hour (I play it at school) and I have dinner after that (so much music I know) and after dinner I take a shower and after that it would be 8:00 and sometimes 8:15 even. I finally start my homework at 8 and my teachers at school give me piles of homework like at least an hour or 2 hours in each subject which take so much time to do and I don't go to bed until 2am every night?? Is this way too much homework and also school work to do?

Oh and by the way I wake up at 6:30 every morning so I only get 4.5 hours of sleep each night because of school? And I'm in grade 10

[Wondergirl]

Why both piano and clarinet? You have no study hall? No video games or texting goes on during all that homework?

[carlie_592]

Well I've been doing piano since I was 6 and my parents also made me take band for high school. And also the only time I text during homework is if I forgot what homework I had or if needed help

[DoulaLC]

If you are using your time wisely, and it still takes you 6 hours to complete your homework, it is far too much. An hour or two in each subject is far above the norm, and what is reasonable to expect. Even if you were in all advanced classes, it would be too much. Are these classes ones that you have difficulty in, so that it takes you longer to complete the work?

If this is indeed how much is being assigned, you may want to speak to your school counselor and find out if there is a district expectation as to the amount of homework that should be assigned at your grade level. I'm surprised that your parents haven't already looked into it. Are they aware that you are up that late for school work?

Each of your instructors may not be aware that the others are assigning lengthy work as well... (although it is unlikely). As in many areas, each department, or instructor, will feel that their course should carry the most weight and take priority in your attention.

I would also consider dropping your piano practice down a bit. Speak to your piano teacher and explain what your schedule is like. Taking a good look at how you spend your time while doing your homework might also show you some areas that you could change that would result in the work taking you less time to complete.

On your current schedule, you will burn out before Christmas... not to mention put your health in jeopardy. Something has to give somewhere. Talk to your parents about the situation.

[smoothy]

Your homework is your FIRST priority... if you can't find enoiugh time, then you have to drop one or more of the extra activities.

[teacherjenn4]

Homework grows from 15 minutes in Kindergarten to a couple of hours or more in high school. Of course, your schoolwork must come first, so spending an hour and a half practicing piano seems excessive if you're staying up until 2 am. Can your parents pick you up from school to give you more time to study? Are you catching up on homework assignments like papers, projects, etc. on the weekends?

[Fr_Chuck]

I agree, first, there would never be that much home work in every class every night, so I have to agree, I perhaps you have a study problem. (sorry but perhaps 30 minutes or so, and not every subject will have homework every night)

so perhaps you should have a total of one or two hours of homework each night, total, in all classes

Next, too much music, unless that is your real love. If so, then you will not mind, suffering for it.

Have your parents review the actual homework. Try to go to a place without distractions.

People do things at different speeds. I am working on a new Masters Degree currently and I can write a 5000 word paper in perhaps 2 or 3 hours. Some students may take 10. We all do work at different speeds.

I will note, here in China almost all high school students live on campus, 6 days a week. Their school starts at 6:30 in the morning with PE and ends at last class at 9:30, and then they do homework. They go to school, 5 1/2 days a week,

[carlie_592]

I can't drop my piano practices because once I only practiced for half an hour each day 5 times a week and my teacher realized it seems like I haven't practiced at all and I told her I have a lot of school stuff to do and all she said was that its no excuse and I have to practice more and she said 1 hour and a half a day, 5 times a week is what I need to do and she pushes me a lot to do well in piano if I don't practice she gets really mad and she even sometimes yells at me that's why I practice so much. And my parents also told me that piano is just as important as school because I need music in my life so my parents are not thinking about quitting piano ever until I move out.

And my parents can't pick me up. My parents are at work until and come home at 6pm and I don't stay at school until 6am I have to get home.

[DoulaLC]

Do you truly have six hours of homework every night? If so, it is too much. Is the material difficult for you? Again, do your parents know that you have that much?

Music is important, and no one said that you should quit, but cutting back to perhaps one hour of practice is an option. That is not unreasonable given your work load. The extracurricular activities may need to end. You already have an extracurricular activity in your music that takes up time. You need to decide what your priorities are.

Either you have too much homework, the material is a struggle for you, or you are not using your time as wisely as you may think you are to complete it. It could be a combination of all three.

Now you need to decide which it is and what you can do about it. Talk to your parents, talk to a school counselor, but get it sorted if you want to do well and remain healthy.

[dontknownuthin]

For high school, about two hours per night of homework on average is appropriate. Two hours per subject is crazy. But you may not be able to get teachers to assign less. It sounds like you are in too many activities.

What are your priorities? If you want to be a concert pianist, dump your second instrument. If you just want to play for your own enjoyment, cut back to 45/minutes of practice per day. As for school, maybe you are not working efficiently. It sounds like your homework time is over the top.