Millennial asks: Did we get ripped off by the homework grind?

One Redditor sparked nostalgia and frustration by asking if millennials got the short end of the stick with school homework.

On the r/Millennials subreddit, Redditor u/Sketch_Crush posed a simple but powerful question: “Did we get ripped off with homework?” The post quickly drew attention, tapping into a shared memory many haven’t questioned until adulthood.

Reflecting on their own school experience, u/Sketch_Crush recalled routinely doing “2 to 4 hours of homework per night” throughout middle and high school, particularly before graduating in 2010. “I remember even the parents started complaining,” they added, noting how excessive homework time cut into family life.

Homework today is practically nonexistent

According to u/Sketch_Crush, things have changed dramatically in recent years. Their wife, a teacher with experience across a wide range of school types from public, private, privileged, to Title 1 has seen homework disappear almost entirely. In fact, some schools actively discourage assigning it.

This shift left the original poster questioning the necessity of the grind that millennials went through. “Was this anyone else’s experience?” they asked, before reflecting on the absurdity of juggling eight classes a day, only to spend evenings continuing the same work at home. “It made life after high school feel like a breeze,” they concluded.

Although teachers and parents once believed homework instilled discipline or reinforced learning, modern research has questioned its effectiveness. Some schools now prioritize student wellness and family time, which were often casualties of older homework policies.

Millennials respond: “They wonder why our generation is burnt out”

Unsurprisingly, other millennials chimed in with strong agreement. Many shared similar stories of late-night cramming and missed family dinners. 

A popular response read, “Homework doesn’t have much evidence of effectiveness before middle school. Personally, I did the bare minimum amount of homework necessary to pass classes. I had better things to do at home.” 

Another added, “My kids hardly have any homework compared to when I went to school. My oldest never has homework. Always finishes in class.”

Others noted the emotional toll and how their parents got around what they deemed unnecessary assignments. “My dad would get so tired of having to deal with homework he’d write us excuse notes. There was a method, he wouldn’t let us get out of projects or essays, but work sheets or left over from class? Had little patience for that. The school would make my parents go in every once in a while and verify he was actually writing the notes.” 

They went on to add, “He’d teach us how to fix things in the house, fix cars, take us fishing, go to museums and art galleries. We had to play a sport and an instrument, in highschool we could pick volunteering or a paid job. So we weren’t sitting on our a**es. He was very pro-education, just not worksheets. Honestly I think he was onto something.”

Overall, the consensus was clear: millennials endured an educational culture that valued output over balance. While some believe it built resilience, most agreed it also stole time they’ll never get back.

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