why do i have homework over break

Why We Should Give Students a Homework Break Over the Holidays

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I have so many fond memories from holiday seasons growing up: the smell of delicious food being made by my Mexican and Filipino families, warm light on the faces of my relatives, and lots of laughter. As I got older, though, things changed—mostly because I had so much homework to do.

Instead of joking with our relatives at the holidays, my brother and I would often sequester ourselves at the edge of the room, thick textbooks open and pens in our hands. Sometimes, we’d miss events altogether. When we did attend, the ramifications could be intense. During one spring break, I chose to go to an Easter party with my family. But by midnight, I was stress-weeping because I had so much work to do by the next day.

As a teacher, I now understand the temptation to give work over school breaks. There never seems to be enough time to do the projects or read the texts I’d like to with my kids, and asking students to work or read during breaks eases that crunch. I also worry that my students will lose some of their learning in the weeks they are gone.

Recently, though, my school created a new homework policy that, among other things, encourages us to avoid giving students work over extended school breaks. Our administration cited studies that raise questions about the benefits of hefty doses of homework.

I worried about how this new plan would affect my curriculum pacing, and about what my students might “lose.” But I realized that my concerns were really about my desires, not what was best for my students.

The new policy led me to re-evaluate my assignments and timing, and I ended up being able to make adjustments so my kids could complete necessary projects without working when they should be recharging. I’d worried about my students’ learning, but recent research challenges our long-held belief that students’ learning “slides” significantly over long breaks.

Taking the stress of homework out of my students’ holiday breaks is important. They deserve an opportunity to relax and rejuvenate as much as I do—particularly if they are overscheduled to begin with. Young or old, we all need rejuvenation time. In addition, more studies are demonstrating the benefits of down time for students. Having unstructured time recharges them, but also allows their brains to build connections that strengthen and improve their executive functioning.

We need to be mindful of other factors that complicate homework assignments over holiday breaks. We don’t always know what our students’ lives are like outside our classrooms. Do they struggle with access to the resources necessary to complete assignments? Do they have stressful home situations?

Here are a few ways we can send our students off on a positive note when they leave us for holiday breaks. I’m trying them myself this winter!

Provide activities that support students reconnecting with themselves, their loved ones, or their community.

While we want to avoid giving mandatory work to students, we can offer opportunities and ideas for learning-friendly activities they can do during their break. Maybe that’s an optional/extra credit project that asks students to interview a family or community member (though we should also provide time after break for those who couldn’t work over break). Or maybe we can offer students some ideas about how they could use their time to take care of themselves or their communities. We could provide reflection questions once they’re back from break, to help them find meaning in the experience. Encouraging students to use their time to volunteer or take care of themselves allows us to help our kids grow not just as students, but as people.

Offer opportunities to find a new passion, set goals, or reflect.

While some students may travel or connect with family, some of our kids may have a lot of free time over their break. We can encourage them to use the time to set goals for the year, dream big and draw or write their five-year plan (remind them this is for fun and plans will change!), or reflect on their year or life so far. We can also encourage students to discover something they’re passionate about, or use the time to pursue something they love.

Deepen your relationships with students and allow them to open up to you.

Sometimes, our kids are simply not given the space to dive deeply into something that lets them tell us who they are. Give students a project that allows them to explore their identity or have them write a story about their lives. This will not only provide some critical thinking, reading, or writing enrichment, but more importantly will provide valuable insight into our students’ lives and help us build deeper connections with our students. We can return the favor by completing the project ourselves or writing a story and sharing it with them.

After the break, see what stuck with students.

Instead of returning from break with the mindset of what was “lost,” give students a chance to share everything they remember from the last unit. Instead of assuming they all had a great time they want to share, welcome kids back with an opportunity to celebrate the experiences that stuck with them from their breaks. Help students generate a class-created study guide so they can review what they learned before the break. This gives them space to support one another and remind each other what they learned, as well as gives us an opportunity to praise students for what they’ve retained. It also provides important feedback for us on what stuck over the break and what we need to reteach.

Ultimately, our students look to us not just for academic growth, but to support their growth as human beings as well. Taking away homework stress over break may cause us to change our short-term plans, but providing them with opportunities and resources instead can have some long-term benefits that can change their self-perception and their lives more than a packet of homework ever could.

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Should kids get summer homework?

by: Leslie Crawford | Updated: June 12, 2023

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Jill Notte’s daughter Sara is a straight-A student, and she’s taking five advanced-placement courses this fall. It’ll be her senior year.

This ambitious undertaking may prove Sara’s undoing — at least if the 17 year old wants to enjoy her summer vacation. Somewhere in between spending a week at a Girls State program, a month at the New Jersey Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology at Rutger’s University, and visiting a few potential colleges, Sara must complete the following workload before school starts:

• Read five novels for AP English • Read one book for AP History • Complete a packet of assignments and problems for AP Calculus • Complete a packet of assignments and problems for AP Chemistry • Write several summaries of scientific principles for Honors Physics

Oh, and her English teacher recommends that she attend Shakespeare performances at the local college to supplement the many plays she’s required to read as part of AP English. “I try to put a positive spin on it,” says Sara’s mother, Jill. “I told her, ‘Summertime’s a great time to read Shakespeare!'” But, admits Jill, it’s not so easy to put the same kind of “fun” spin on the stack of mind-numbing calculus and chemistry books hefty enough to take down a Yellowstone grizzly.

Forget languidly balmy weeks unwinding from the stress of an intensive school year. Goodbye, as well, to working her usual summer job as a lifeguard, which Sara unhappily has to forgo — along with the money she hoped to save for college. As her mother puts it, “Summer homework is a full-time job.”

A working vacation

Sara’s not alone. The oxymoronically named “vacation work” is on the rise. Sara’s older sister had only a few books to read over the summer when she was in high school — and that was just eight years ago. Jill, who like her daughters was a high achiever in the top five percent of her class, remembers completely homework-free summers.

Many parents remember their own childhood summers as true respites from school, devoid the rigor and rigidity of academic life. Summer was a sprawling mass of unstructured time that ranged from idyllic laziness to stupefying boredom to invigorating camps and family vacations, not scores of math worksheets, science packets, and lists of “good-for-you” classics that hardly qualify as light beach reads.

Harris Cooper, chairman of the department of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and America’s leading homework scholar who co-authored the landmark meta-study on homework , says that while there exists no formal studies on the rise in summertime homework, he’s witnessed a particularly sharp increase over the past two years — probably a response “to high-stakes testing and accountability issues for schools.”

Just say no?

Some parents argue summer homework is nothing more than bland busywork that saps the joy and spontaneity from summer. So says Sara Bennett, founder of StopHomework.com . “Even if there is a summer slide, I don’t think homework is the solution,” Bennett says. “Kids don’t have enough downtime during the school year. I think they need that freshness during summer.”

Here’s a revolutionary approach for vacation purists who say kids deserve a good, old-fashioned summer free from intense brain-strain: Just say no. That’s what Bennett suggests a parent do in the fall if a child is averse to doing the packet. “I’d send it back and say, ‘I’m sorry, my child didn’t have a chance to do it.’ ” (A parental dispensation only possible for kids who haven’t entered the high-school pressure cooker where — as with Sara Notte — summer homework is graded and can directly affect a student’s chances to enter a top-tier university.)

Protecting young minds from melting

On the other side of the summer homework debate are the moms and dads who, when the school doors slam shut, ramp up the supplemental brain work, even if the teachers didn’t provide it themselves. Most parents, though, fall somewhere in the for-better-or-worse-summer-homework-is-here-to-stay camp.

So if the kids have to do it, can we at least be reassured that it’s a magic bullet to protect young minds from melting? “We can’t say that with any objective data,” Cooper says. “But we would make the assumption if students are continuing to flex their mental muscles over the summer, this would have a positive effect on how much material they retain when they return.”

No buy-in from the kids

“There definitely is a lag — I’m not denying that,” says Denise Pope, senior lecturer at the Stanford University School of Education and co-founder of Challenge Success , a research and student-intervention project. “I absolutely agree that three months is a long time to not do anything. That said, I’m not sure this idea of giving workbooks and pages and pages of handouts works.”

The reason it doesn’t work? “There’s not a buy-in from the [kids],” Pope argues. “In order for any learning to be retained, there has to be engagement on the part of the students.” Pope explains that students need the “ABCs of engagement,” which means they’re engaged affectively, behaviorally, and cognitively. “If they’re intrinsically motivated, then they’ll want to do it.”

“I know kids who get these huge 40-page math packets,” Pope says. “It’s because [teachers] want [kids], over time, to have systematic practice. The problem is that this requires an adult to monitor this kind of disciplined work. It’s not like a kid can do that on his own. So it puts a burden more on the parents.”

Year-round homework blues

So, alas, those nightly angst-ridden homework dramas that run from September through June now get year-round billing. The other problem, Pope says, is that summer homework packets (frequently put off until the last unhappy week before school begins), often seem to fall into an academic black hole once they’re turned in — with no feedback from teachers and no effect on kids’ grades.

As for the work that Pope’s three kids — ages 10, 12, and 15 — get handed at school’s end, she tells them, “‘I won’t bug you about this at all. I won’t be the police.’ We look at the assignments they get for the summer and I say, ‘How long do you think this will take? Do you want me to remind you to do it?’ ” But if they leave it until the tail end of the summer, Pope says, well, that’s their choice. It’s their vacation, after all.

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Teachers see pros and cons of homework over break

Kentucky School for the Deaf senior Sasha Jones looks for her ornament on the Christmas tree at the Governor’s Mansion Nov. 30, 2010. Photo by Amy Wallot

By Susan Riddell

Whether high school students need to finish a term paper for U.S. History or primary students need to write a book report, student learning can easily continue over the holiday break.

The questions many teachers face, however, are how much homework do they assign and what are the best methods to make sure students still are able to focus on family time over the break.

Lois Conely is in her 28th year as an educator and her eighth year as a middle school teacher at Anchorage Elementary School (Anchorage Independent), a K-8 school.

She said keeping students consistently learning over break is important but doing so should be handled delicately.

“It helps students use and practice their skills and stay somewhat engaged with and connected to content,” Conely said. “Especially during holiday breaks, students may have family gatherings or special activities or they may travel. The students and their parents don’t need to worry about homework assignments during these times.”

Conely suggests handing out an assignment in the days leading up to the break, not the day before one starts.

“I have found it helpful to make assignments a few days in advance of the break and not due for a few days after the break so that if a student wants or needs the extended time, it is available,” she said. “In addition, if you post the homework assignment on your school website and/or notify parents via e-mail that an assignment is due, it helps students who might be unclear with directions or who need the actual assignment.”

Anchorage school district’s holiday break – like many others in the state – lasts two weeks. Conely said she doesn’t normally hand out homework strictly for the break but will offer links to websites. “I don’t do something that’s only online because some students travel and will not have access to a computer,” she said.

In past years, she has assigned a family history project that involved students interviewing family members and gathering photographs and primary source documents over the holiday breaks.

“The project was assigned several weeks prior to the break so that they could plan ahead and then use the time during holiday gatherings when they would see relatives they didn’t ordinarily see,” Conely said. “The actual project was not due for a couple of weeks after the holiday break so they had time to compile and format their work.”

Suggested Reading: How to Handle Holiday Homework

Teresa Hinton has been a 5th-grade grade teacher at Calhoun Elementary School (McLean County) for 13 years and primarily teaches mathematics. She feels strongly that students “need to practice math often to retain those skills” but said that she tends to choose not to hand out homework over the break.

“From experience I have found that most likely the only students who would actually do the assignments would be the students who don’t need the extra practice,” Hinton said. “The struggling students tend to be struggling because they rarely complete daily assignments. I consider the break a ‘break’ and remind the students that we will be ready to start back at an intensive level when we return.”

Hinton said it’s important to emphasize to students that once the break is over it’s time to really focus on learning.

“On the first week back from our break, I stress repeatedly to the students that we are going to be working hard and focusing on what needs to be learned before the end of the year,” Hinton said.

“I try to do a review-type activity when we first come back to help them get back into the flow of things. This also serves as a confidence boost to do something that they should know how to do. Sometimes, especially in math, confidence is half the battle. If the students feel that they can be successful, often times they work harder to continue to feel that success.”

MORE INFO … Lois Conely, [email protected] , (502) 245-2121 Teresa Hinton, [email protected] , (270) 273-3264

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Should Schools Give Summer Homework?

During the past two years, the covid pandemic has greatly disrupted american education, forcing many school districts to use remote instruction for months on end. this has resulted in significant learning loss for students. a recent report by the consulting firm mckinsey & company found that the proportion of high school students meeting proficiency standards dropped five percentage points in math and three points in english. what’s more, this likely underestimates learning loss since the states with the biggest disruptions didn’t give proficiency tests. concern over the extent to which students have fallen behind has renewed debate over whether schools should give homework over the summer. two educators square off about whether that’s a good idea..

Children learn best when instruction is continuous. A long summer vacation in which students do no schoolwork disrupts the rhythm of learning, leads to forgetting, and requires time be spent reviewing old material when students return to school in the fall. Summer homework can help prevent this.

Studies show that, on average, achievement test scores decline between spring and fall, and the loss is more pronounced for math than reading. All students, regardless of economic status, show roughly equal amounts of decline in math skills over the summer. But substantial differences are found when it comes to reading. While middle-class students on average maintain or improve their reading during the summer, children from impoverished families often lose ground. Teachers have seen the same kind of learning loss after long Covid-related school closures.

A long summer break from all academics can also have negative consequences for children with special educational needs. And it can be an extra burden for children who don’t speak English at home: For them, it’s not simply a matter of relearning academic material; in many cases, they also must re-acquaint themselves with the language of instruction.

A summer with no schoolwork disrupts the rhythm of learning.

I don’t know of studies that have directly examined whether students who get summer homework do better in school the next school year. But research has shown that summer school can be highly effective, and summer homework might be considered a “low dose” of summer school.

Summer assignments can vary from giving students a head start in reading books they’ll cover in next year’s English class to having them read chapters of a textbook they’ll be tested on when they return to school. Whatever form it takes, summer homework can have a positive effect on students’ achievement. With so many schools struggling to help students who’ve fallen behind during the pandemic, summer homework seems like an obvious solution to try.

—HARRIS COOPER

Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University

With all the concern about Covid-related learning loss among students, it’s tempting to turn to summer homework as a solution. But that might do more harm than good.

Schools should think carefully before assigning summer homework, and not just because it stresses out students (and parents). The truth is, homework doesn’t accomplish what we assume it does. Research shows there’s only a moderate correlation between homework and standardized test scores or long-term achievement in middle school. And research indicates that, even in high school, too much homework can be counterproductive.

Some studies claim that students lose skills if they don’t practice them over the summer. But if a child can’t regain his grasp of fractions with a brief review, maybe those skills weren’t taught well enough in the first place. Doing a mountain of math sheets without a teacher’s help—and perhaps incorrectly—isn’t the answer.

Summer homework negatively affects how students feel about school and learning.

But there are a few things summer homework does accomplish effectively: It steals time away from other important aspects of learning, such as play, which helps young people master social skills and teamwork. In addition, writing book reports means fewer hours being physically active, which is essential for good health and weight control, not to mention proper brain development.

I’m hugely in favor of students reading over the summer, but asking them to plow through a long required-reading list turns an activity that should be fun into a dreaded chore.

Perhaps worst of all, summer homework affects how students feel about learning and school. Summer is a critical time for them to relax and pursue their interests. Nobody wants to spend that time with a long to-do list hanging over them. Do we want our children to start the year refreshed and ready to learn? Or burned out and resentful? It’s something every school should carefully consider.

—NANCY KALISH

Co-author, The Case Against Homework

Should schools give summer homework?

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My 8-Year-Old’s Teacher Wants Him to Do Schoolwork Over Spring Break

Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email [email protected] or post it in the  Slate Parenting Facebook group .

My second grader has been doing hybrid for most of this year, and his school is getting ready to return to full-time, in-person instruction after spring break. Despite the challenges, I think he’s been doing well. At times it’s a struggle to get him to focus, but I think that’s pretty normal for an 8-year-old. He’s been feeling pretty emotional, though, and he’s been pretty hard on himself whenever he makes mistakes.

He’s in the gifted program, and his gifted teacher tells me that he can be a perfectionist. His grade level teacher, however, told me at a conference that she doesn’t think he’s making enough effort, is easily upset and frustrated, and that he hasn’t made as much progress as she wants him to. She gives the students quotas for how many lessons they should complete, and she suggests that students who don’t get them done should work over spring break.

My son is a good student, but he hasn’t met her quota, and I feel like kids should be able to enjoy their time off. I know his teacher is just trying to keep kids on track, but I’m concerned about how much pressure she’s putting on my child. I know he’s working hard to keep up with the amount of work assigned. I know I’m not the only parent who worries about the workload. Should I approach his teacher with my concerns, or let it go and privately tell my son to just do his best and not worry about it? I’m worried all of this will even be more to handle when he’s back at school full-time—my son has already told me he’s fed up with this teacher.

—Isn’t Our Best Good Enough?

Dear Isn’t Our Best Good Enough,

Yes, it is.

Tell the teacher that you’ve decided to give your child the vacation he deserves. Your son is far too young to be learning that vacations are only partial escapes from the demands of the workday. This is always the case but never more true than in the midst of a pandemic.

I would thank your son’s teacher for her concern but inform her that vacations are a time for human beings of all ages to rest, relax, and recharge. That is what your son will be doing because that is far more important than any arbitrarily determined quota that your district has assigned.

Then, release yourself of any worry or guilt over this decision. It is unquestionably the right thing to do.

—Mr. Dicks (fifth grade teacher, Connecticut)

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I am a high school English teacher, and this is my fifth year teaching. I’m wondering if you have any advice about classroom management in a virtual space. My school is hybrid this year, but I have some students who attend school entirely virtually.

When online students don’t participate or don’t meet expectations, I try to check in with them via private chat, but I often don’t get a response. If they don’t respond, I email them, and sometimes their parents, after class. I struggle with these emails. For example, if a student hasn’t participated in a breakout room or responded when I send them a private message, I may try to follow up with them later.

I haven’t met many of these kids in person, and while I try to establish a good rapport with them online, it’s not the same as having them in my classroom. I worry that I am being too harsh or that the proper tone isn’t coming across. If they were at school, I would pull them aside after class and could have a quick conversation, but having to comment on their behavior or participation over email seems to drag the issue out, and I worry that it gives students more anxiety since it’s in writing. If I email parents, it often becomes a game of tag between communicating with the student and parent. Any tips on how to make this less stressful and more effective for me and my students?

—Anybody Out There?

Dear Anybody,

You have my sympathy—I relate to this problem and so does every other high school teacher I know. My advice? Stop emailing and put your energy toward trying new breakout room strategies and building relationships.

There are lots of great ideas out there for how to manage breakout rooms (like here and here ). I have found many of these tips to be successful, such as assigning a clear task for the group to complete and then share when we come back together as a whole group. Some of my colleagues have had success letting students choose their group-mates (with your approval, of course) and then setting up permanent breakout rooms . That said, temper your expectations. There will still be students who log in to Zoom and then fall asleep, leave the room to go make a snack, or watch YouTube instead of participate. And there will also be some students who cannot participate through no fault of their own (their audio isn’t working, their connection is slow, their Chromebook crashes, etc.). Don’t beat yourself up. Just keep doing your best to offer good instruction.

While managing participation in Zoom is challenging, building relationships can feel even more daunting. Yet, as I’m sure you know, positive student-teacher relationships are the bedrock of learning. One strategy that has worked well for me is creating individual breakout rooms so that I can talk with students one-on-one. For example, my students recently wrote an essay, and I made individual breakout rooms so we could have writing conferences. I always start the conversation with small talk (“How was your weekend? How did your debate tournament go last Friday?” etc.) before moving into the academic conversation. These discussions help me to get to know my students and build rapport. While some students are still reticent, most will open up when I’m the only one listening.

Pick a new strategy and give it a go! Afterward, get feedback from your students on which of these strategies is working for them. At the end of the last semester, I gave students a survey and received lots of great information; some students also shared what other teachers are doing that they find helpful.

Finally, don’t underestimate Zoom fatigue. It’s OK to mix it up, especially with older students. Sometimes we stay together in Zoom for the entire block, but there are also days where I do a short Zoom lesson and then give the students asynchronous work (which also allows time for me to have those individual conversations). My students told me they appreciated having a change of pace on the aforementioned survey.

Hang in there! Summer will be here before we know it, and I am hopeful that next fall will bring more normalcy.

—Ms. Holbrook (high school teacher, Texas)

My grandson is 12 years old and has an IEP. He used to have seizures, but is now on medication and so hasn’t had a problem with seizures for a year. But because of his seizures, he has forgotten much he learned at school. His reading is a struggle, and spelling is even more of a struggle. What can I do to try and help him with this? I’ve tried tutoring for him, but I haven’t found anyone with enough patience.

—Forget-It-Not

What can you do? Connect him with experts. Folks who are not trained in this specific disability will not be able to handle your grandson’s needs.

Memory loss is a medical consequence of seizures, so your first stop should be your grandson’s doctor. The doctor may prescribe medication to help but will likely also refer him to a neuropsychologist, who will give him tests to determine the breadth and scope of the issue.

Once the neuropsychologist understands the roadblocks to your grandson’s memory, you can work together to remove them. The neuropsychologist might suggest your grandson see a psychotherapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, and/or tutor who is trained in exceptional children, or EC. These experts can determine which strategies will help improve his memory and offer you exercises you can do with him.

Speaking of EC, I assume he has an individualized education plan at school. If not, request testing for learning disabilities posthaste. He should be receiving specialized education, push-in services, pull-out services, accommodations, test modifications, etc.

Most importantly, tell your grandson that this challenge is extremely common in patients who have seizures—he’s not alone. Remind him that his memory problems don’t mean anything about his intelligence. If he’s doing the best he can with the hand he’s been dealt, that’s enough.

—Ms. Scott (eighth grade teacher, North Carolina)

My daughter is in second grade in a large, urban public school that’s been fully remote since spring. In first grade, she tested as an advanced learner overall but especially in reading/verbal aptitude. We got the results a few weeks after schools went remote, and she hasn’t received any specific advanced learner programming. She’s doing well, though she has a tendency to do the bare minimum. For example, when she does a reading worksheet she’ll answer questions using the shortest possible sentences, then read a chapter book until the next lesson starts.

I’m not too worried about her not pushing herself, since she reads constantly and her teachers say she’s on track. But there are areas where I think she is behind. Her work is all done online, so she rarely writes anything by hand. Her handwriting is awful and slow (she makes each part of a letter shape by shape and hasn’t progressed to more fluid writing). Occasionally she still makes some letters backward, and her writing is a mix of upper- and lowercase. I would love to work with her on these things, but by the end of the day she’s burned out and extremely resistant. I’ve encouraged her to write letters to friends, and she does occasionally, but it takes a lot of nagging.

Should I be making her practice? Ideas for how to get her on board? There are other areas, like telling time, where she also needs more practice and is similarly resistant to my teaching her, so general strategies would help too. But writing seems the most pressing.

—Pencil Pusher

I think that one of the biggest goals that parents of young kids undertaking an extended period of virtual learning should have is to support them in getting through it with their confidence and interest in learning relatively intact. It sounds like your daughter is, generally, doing fine, and under the circumstances, fine is great. All you can ask for, really. Nagging, resistance, and conflict is not what either of you needs right now, especially if it might sour her on an educational experience that sounds like, all things considered, is going pretty well. So in general, I’d follow her lead and tread lightly. I do think there are a couple of things you can try, but in going forward with them, I’d make sure to keep it light and low-pressure.

Since she’s doing everything online right now, it wouldn’t surprise me if her fine motor skills have lagged some, which is probably contributing to the laboriousness of her writing. Fortunately, there are lots of fun activities you can offer that will help strengthen the small muscles in her hands and fingers and improve her general dexterity without her ever cluing in to the fact that she’s doing a therapeutic exercise. She could try making jewelry—stringing beads, tying knots, and braiding bracelets with embroidery floss are all great. You could offer her a book of sticker mosaics, a Lite-Brite (those are back now!), or a relatively simple diamond puzzle, which will have her carefully placing and arranging small objects with accuracy. Legos, clay, playing Jenga—really, whatever floats her boat and gets her to practice skillfully manipulating things with her hands would be great to encourage.

I do think you can prompt her to keep working specifically on letter formation, but there are a lot of ways to do so without making it a chore. (You definitely don’t want to sit her down with a page of handwriting drills at the end of her school day when she’s drained and resisting!) I would offer some interesting materials—bath crayons, shaving cream, a bit of paint squished around in a plastic baggie, the black paper you can scratch to reveal colors underneath, even dragging a paper clip through Play-Doh or slime—and prompt her to try some letters, especially if you can model it for her. I wouldn’t ask her to practice any more than five to seven minutes at a time—quit while you’re well ahead, and then just let her play. I think that some consistent but quick practice that she enjoys will, in the long run, get you further than a real nose-to-the-grindstone work session that she fights the whole time.

I’m crossing every extremity that your district reopens in the fall. You can definitely raise your various concerns with her teacher then, and perhaps ask for an evaluation by an occupational therapist—but also know that it is not possible for kids or teachers to be hewing to the typical benchmarks right now, and everyone’s going to need extra support in something or other by the time this is all over. She’ll be OK.

—Ms. Bauer (middle and high school teacher, New York)

More Advice From Slate

My daughter is a freshman in high school, and she recently got an assignment in life sciences that seems inappropriate. The assignment is for the kids to identify someone in their family who died of cancer, and then students are supposed to research that kind of cancer and create a poster presentation to display for the entire school. This seems like a terrible idea, and an invasion of privacy. Should I talk to the teacher?

clock This article was published more than  5 years ago

Should I give my kids homework over summer break?

Q: What is your perspective on having kids do "homework" over the summer? My two kids (finishing fourth and second grades) both love to read and are above grade-level readers, so I am not worried about that element. But I wonder whether, and how much, time should be spent reviewing math, etc., over break. I have used the summer workbooks before, and while the subject matter is usually easy for my oldest kid, getting him to actually do it (two pages, should take about 10 minutes) was like pulling fingernails out. Though in many ways he is bright, I think he can benefit from keeping a bit of the formal routine over the summer instead of completely checking out.

A: As a former English teacher, I have a strong bias when it comes to reading over the summer. I want every child of every age to read as much as they can, all of the time. Graphic novels, magazines, memoirs, books about sports and historical figures, any or all reading is worthwhile. I am pretty confident that every math teacher feels the same way. Math is easily integrated into every aspect of our lives, and I know math teachers would celebrate if parents helped their children do that.

The summer conundrum: Fight brain drain, or give kids a break?

Why do we teachers want our students practicing their math and reading skills? Because we know summer brain drain is real. We now also have to deal with the fact that technology is far more seductive than books and math. Gaming and social media, left unchecked, will consume all of our children’s attention, making it even harder for them to find their creativity and love of learning.

While I would prefer every child spend less time on technology this summer, I don’t believe in creating epic power struggles over worksheets. There is no quicker way to kill a love of math than forcing worksheets when the sun is shining and ice pops are calling. So, what should a parent do this summer?

1. More important than following a school’s advice blindly, take a real assessment of your child. Is he a happy student? A quick learner? Does she take longer to learn but it sticks once she gets it? Maybe you aren’t sure, and it is absolutely fine to email the teacher and ask about your child’s learning style.

10 ways to take the struggle out of homework

2. Understanding a child’s learning style will help you better assess how you would like to move forward with summer work. Would you like to complete one big chunk a week or lots of little sessions during the week? One week on, one week off? You decide what works best for your child and your family.

3. Fun should be the rule. If the worksheets look duller than dirt, search online for math games.

4. I also don’t have a problem with sweetening the pot when it comes to completing summer work. Call a family meeting with your children and say something like, “These are the books you must read and here is the math that must be completed. Let’s figure out how to make this fun and also, let’s see if there are some ways to earn some treats!” You and your children can cooperatively decide what can be earned, and I suggest you keep it to more of a celebration. While it generally backfires to create consequences when children don’t cooperate, if you create consequences with your children in a family meeting and they are agreed upon beforehand, that could also be a powerful way to help children complete their summer work.

5. No matter how much or how little homework your children complete, please create boundaries around technology this summer. A “bored” mind will find creativity (after some time and tantrums) so you should establish spaces and times when your children won’t have access to technology . These boundaries also will help your child transition more easily into their next grade as summer ends. Their focus will be stronger, their sleep will be better, and they will be more mentally prepared for school.

6. Keep your expectations reasonable. Families are busier than ever, and many students don’t have 12 weeks off. Between day care, all-day camps and other activities, children often are tired at the end of their summer days. Be sensitive that you may have created goals to complete work but it may not all get done. And that’s okay. Just do the best you can to encourage learning while still enjoying the downtime of summer.

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The Looking Glass

Should We Have Homework Over Christmas Break?

Faith Chen '22 , Assistant Layout Editor | December 24, 2019

While the air begins to fill with the gingerbread aroma and holiday lights are strung everywhere, we are all looking forward to a well deserved Christmas Break! However, as the long awaited pause from school life approaches, many students express a variety of different opinions towards homework over the break. 

Understandably, many students will be extremely busy amidst the holiday rush and family reunions. With homework as well as many events to juggle, a supposedly restful vacation may result in a build-up of stress. As one sophomore comments: “Christmas homework is unfair. We need time off, and also, it’s a religious holiday.”Another student adds, “we shouldn’t [have any homework] because Christmas break should be a break, and time to spend with family who we don’t get to see a lot.” Additionally, many seniors, who will already be experiencing stress from their second round of applications, would definitely welcome a break with less homework.  

Some students see the need for homework for special cases, including for AP level classes. One AP student said: “The only homework that I think we should be able to get over break is AP work. We get so much during school in general that the idea behind breaks is that we actually have time off to not worry about school. An AP class giving homework is understandable because the class is on a different type of schedule, but I do not think any other class should give homework.” Students who take only one or two AP classes might agree to this, but students who take three, four, or five AP classes might not find an only-AP rule to be truly relaxing.

While the idea of homework over break may seem daunting to many, some students are on the pro-homework side, reasoning that limited homework could be beneficial in the long run. One student said: “I think that no more than 45 minutes per class should be allowed, because many people have next to no free time over break and it’s meant to be a time to relax.” Another student said: “We should only have one night’s worth of homework over break. That way, we would only have homework for one afternoon over break.”

To answer whether or not there is a limit of homework students should receive over break, Ms White said: “ Teachers are expected to minimize homework assignments over Christmas break.” For those who have a busy holiday, she said: “I’d recommend identifying the time you have to work on it (for example, ‘x’ number of hours on January 2, 3, 4, etc.), and then giving yourself a time limit for each assignment.” 

There are plenty of people vying aye or nay for the case of homework over our Christmas break. Our advice is to plan ahead. Look at your vacation from a bird’s eye view — we have two weeks. How many of those days will you be on vacation with your family? How many of those days will you be resting? When are your work days? What is your homework for each class, and how long will it take you? Figure it all out ahead of time, so when the time comes, and you’re sent off home on December 20th, you’ll be prepared, with no surprises.

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The Student Newspaper for Montrose School.

Students call for less homework over break

By Minqi Kong Photo Editor [email protected]

College life includes intellectual development, socializing, and fun. It also includes midterms, research papers and other stressful projects. Built-in vacation days like our fall break are a time for students to recuperate, to regulate a busy period of schooling, and to relax. However, many students say that too much homework is piled on during these breaks and takes away the time that they should be resting. Break is the time that students can actually relax, so we want professors to know that we need our break, instead of assigning overwhelming assignments. Based on the data from the American College Health Association Fall 2018 Undergraduate Reference Group Data, it shows that overall 69.6% of students felt depression and anxiety from college or university. No homework or light will be better for students’ mental health.

Breaks and holidays are essential times when people can be freed from the stresses of work and built up anxiety of studying since the beginning of the school year. It’s for relaxation, it’s for fun, it’s not for using all the vacation time to write all the homework. Willow Schaefer ‘24 said she was assigned a lot of homeworks during the Fall Break. “For one class, I had to write an essay and also had to read like 70 pages, and that was for one class. And for another class, I had to do like it wasn’t a lot of work for say, but it was like really tedious work. So, I had to do like, I think 30 something questions out of textbooks, but it’s like forever, because it’s tedious,” Schaefer said. “It took me the entire weekend to finish it. Because we have Thursday and Friday and I spent Saturday and Sunday all just doing homework for these classes.”

Schaefer also said many of her professors do not put all of the assignments on the syllabus at the beginning of the semester. This can make it hard for students to plan ahead. “Most of my professors don’t put specific works on the syllabus. They have what we are going to do on the syllabus, but they don’t have the specific assignments, so we can’t predict what assignments we’re going to get at what time,” Schaefer said. Professors should clearly state on their syllabus if there are any assignments that need to be turned in, or prepared and completed, around the holidays. This would decrease stress for students.

Jenna Walker, ’24 echoed Schaefer’s concerns. “If I use Thursday as a break and I had to spend all of Sunday and some of Saturday to catch up on the work that I missed. Because I use my break as a break. So I technically didn’t really get a break. So, I only have two days off which is a normal weekend,” Walker said. “I personally think that there should be no homework during the break at all, like professors should not be allowed to assign homework over any sort of break.”

Jeffery Trumbower, the vice president for academic affairs said there is no stated policy for professors assigning work that is due or just after a school break, like the fall break we just had and the coming Thanksgiving break. “Professors can give an exam or make things due just after a break if they want. If a student doesn’t want to do school work during the break, then they would need to plan ahead to get the project done or study before the break begins,” Trumbower said.

Tim Mackin, associate dean of the college, is aware of student’s concerns and anxiety. It’s hard for schools to adjust the assignments from different classes. “We should always be listening to students’ concerns. It’s always a balance between all the material you need to get done for a particular class to prepare for the next class. The nice thing is after this semester there are a lot of breaks over the summer, so I think that’s one way people look at it. There are a lot of breaks built into the semester. But, I guess that we should always be listening to students who are worried about those things.” Mackin said.

Students need a full break to adjust to the stress and fatigue they have experienced since the beginning of the school year. The purpose of giving students a break from school is to give all students a mandatory rest time for working so hard for so long. This vacation is what all students deserve, and it defeats the purpose of a vacation if it is filled with a lot of homework and takes the same amount of time or more than usual to complete.

The Thanksgiving break is coming, professors should reconsider the assignments they will be going to assign for students and allow students the opportunity to fully rest and recuperate before final exams.

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The Tyranny of Homework: 20 Reasons to Stop Assigning Homework Over the Holidays

M any students agree that assigning homework over the holidays really is a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

Upon returning from winter break, you’ll probably have a handful of students saying the dog ate their homework or it got blown away in a winter storm. But you’ll probably be surprised to learn that some research suggests assigning too much homework can be a bad thing.   A 2009 article in the Los Angeles Times , suggests that some districts have cut back on the amount of homework in the effort to consider children’s social development. In fact, the San Ramon Valley district modified its homework policy and no homework is allowed over weekends and holiday vacations, except for reading.

The US   National Education Association   recommends no more than ten minutes (of homework) per grade level, per night.

Homework has fallen in and out of favor over the decades. California even established a law in 1901 limiting the amount of homework teachers could assign. Assigning homework is highly in favor now a days. With recent trends of information overload, packed activity schedules, and childhood obesity, it’s no wonder educators are reconsidering their stance on homework.

Learn more about how to progress in your teaching career with an online Certificate in Education Support today.

Here are 20 reasons why you shouldn’t assign homework over the holidays. Perhaps one of your students will print this list and encourage you to reconsider your ideas about homework.

• Students are learning all the time in the 21 st   century.   According to a   recent article   in MindShift traditional homework will become obsolete in the next decade. Thanks to computers, learning is occurring 24/7. With access to software programs, worldwide connections, and learning websites such as the Khan Academy, learning occurs all the time. According to Mindshift, “the next decade is going to see the traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear.” Try to see if you can bridge the gap between school and home by getting students interested in doing their own research over holiday break. Rather than assigning homework, create a true interest in learning. They will often pursue learning about topics they like on their own. After all, this is the way of the 21 st   century and information is everywhere.
• More homework doesn’t necessarily equate to higher achievement . Yes, too much homework can actually be a bad thing. A 1989 Duke University study that reviewed 120 studies found a weak link between achievement and homework at the elementary level and only a moderate benefit at the middle school level. In a similar recent review of 60 studies,   researchers at Duke U   found assigning homework was beneficial, but excessive amounts of homework was counterproductive. The research found homework was more beneficial for older students than younger ones. The study was completed by Harris Cooper, a leading homework research and author of “The Battle over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents”. Cooper suggests that teachers at the younger level may assign homework for improving study skills, rather than learning, explaining why many studies concluded less benefit for younger children. Many teachers do not receive specific training on homework. Cooper suggests that homework should be uncomplicated and short, involve families, and engage student interests.
• Countries that assign more homework don’t outperform those with less homework.   Around the world, countries that assign more homework don’t see to perform any better. A   Stanford study   found that in countries like Japan, Denmark, and the Czech Republic little homework was assigned and students outperformed students in counties with large amounts of homework such as Greece, Thailand, and Iran. American and British students seem to have more homework than most counties, and still only score in the international average. In fact, Japan has instituted no homework policies at younger levels to allow family time and personal interests. Finland, a national leader in international tests, limits high school homework to half hour per night. Of course, there are other factors not taken into account in the study, such as length of the school day. But in itself, it is interesting to see this issue from a world perspective.
• Instead of assigning homework, suggest they read for fun.   There are great holiday stories and books you can recommend to parents and students. If you approach the activity with a holiday spirit, many students   will be engaged . They may want to check out the stories on their own. You can start by reading the first chapter in class and leaving them intrigued. For instance, you can read the first chapter of   The   Gift of the Magi   and suggest students read it over winter break. With younger students, you might promise roles in a play for students who read over break.
• Don’t assign holiday busy work.   Most academics agree that busy work does little to increase learning. It is best to not assign packets of worksheets if they do nothing to add to student learning. You also don’t want to waste valuable time grading meaningless paperwork. Some studies show that much homework may actually decline achievement. Assigning excessive amounts of homework may be detrimental. In fact, a 2006 study by Yankelovick found that reading achievement declined when students were assigned too much homework. Actually, interesting reading such as   Harry Potter   produced higher reading achievement.
• Have students attend a local cultural event.   You can let parents know that instead of assigning homework, you are suggesting students attend a particular event that relates to your classroom. For instance, if you are reading Shakespeare, they might attend a related play or ballet.
• Family time is more important during the holidays . Assigning less homework makes it easier for families to have time together. Family studies at the University of Michigan, show that family time is extremely important to achievement and behavior. Studies on family meals, suggest that students who have dinner with their family have better academic scores and behavioral outcomes. Perhaps this is only a correlation, but family time is undeniably important to child development. Students spent most of their days at school while parents are at work. When all is said and done, remember what it was like being a kid. The things you remember most about the holidays aren’t the assignments you took home, but the time you spend with family and friends.
• For students who travel during the holidays, assigning homework may impede learning on their trip . The Holiday time is the one time of year that many families reconnect with distant family members or travel. I remember having to pack hoards of books over some holidays to Spain and it was not fun. I wanted to enjoy the time with family and experience the country fully. Traveling in itself is a learning activity. Let students experience their travels fully.
• Kids need time to be kids.   A recent article from Australia’s Happy Child website,   “What is the value of Homework: Research and Reality”   considers this issue and explains how children need unstructured play time. Homework can have a negative influence on early learning experiences. Suggest students use holiday time to do physical activity, such as ice-skating or sledding. Many kids don’t get enough exercise. Childhood obesity is a major problem in the United States. Suggesting students play outside or participate in a sport is a good way to get them to value physical activity. The holidays are a great time for kids to go sledding in the snow or play with friends outside. If no one has homework, classmates might exchange phone numbers to play together. You can suggest this to parents. If the teacher thinks physical activity is important, students will too.
• Some education experts recommend an end to all homework . Etta Kralovec and John Buell, authors of   The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning ,   controversially suggests that homework may be a form of intrusion on family life, and may increase the drop-out rate in high schools. The authors blame homework for increasing the achievement gap due to socio-economic differences in after-school obligations. Consider challenging your own views of the benefits of homework and try to create a level playing field when considering assignments.
• Send a letter to parents explaining why you are not assigning work.   You might want to take the Christmas holiday as a chance to engage parents to play a learning game or do some art with their kids. If families know there is an intentional purpose to not assigning work, they may take the chance to spend more one-on-one time with their child.
• You can make the holidays a time for an “open project” for extra credit.   Students might take this time to do something related to the curriculum that they would like to explore on their own terms. Before the holidays, you might talk about topics or provide books students for students to take home. Learning for fun and interest, might produce more meaningful engagement than assigning homework.
• Suggest they visit a museum instead.   With families at home, the holiday time is a great time for students to see an exhibit that interests them or do a fun activity at a nearby museum. Sometimes encouraging these field trips may be more beneficial than assigning homework. You might want to print coupons, a schedule, or a list of upcoming exhibits so that families have the information at their fingertips.
• Encourage students to volunteer during the holiday time.   The holidays are a great time for students to give back. Students might volunteer at a local soup kitchen or pantry. Volunteer organizations are often at their busiest during the holiday time. Plus, students learn a lot from the experience of doing community service. I remember visiting a group home during the holiday time in high school and helping kids wrap Christmas gifts for their families. This is a great alternative to assigning homework, especially for Generation Y who highly values civic involvement.
• Develop a class game.   You might have the class play a   learning game   the week before vacation and have them take it home to show their family. My fourth grade teacher had hop-scotch math. We often drew with chalk outside to replicate her game at home. Try to think of a holiday-themed game or one that the whole family can get involved in.
• Students might learn more from observing the real world.   Learning isn’t just about paper and pencil activities. Teachers should also inspire students to seek ways to learn from real-world experiences. They might cook with their parents and practice measuring. Or tag along with a parent who is putting up holiday lights or building a shed. Ask students to observe a job around the house or ask their parents about their job over holiday break. They might be enlightened to learn more about the real world and different jobs they might pursue in the future. Perhaps some students might be able to go to work with their parents instead of a formal assignment.
• Go on a hike.   Students learn a great deal from nature. Tell students to go outside on a walk and be ready to share their experience when they get back. Did they observe natural phenomena you talked about in science class or different types of rocks you discussed in geology? Or can you tie their walk into a discussion of poetry?
• Tell students to visit an amusement park.   If you are teaching physics or math, amusement parks give ample room to explain the laws of physics and mathematical probability. This outing would allow students to think about the real world implications of science. You may want to even plan a lesson beforehand that ties this idea in. On another level, it allows students to create a lasting memory with their own families.
• Kids need rest!   Everyone needs a mental breather and the holidays are the best time for students to play and take a break from school. Kids need a full ten hours of sleep and adequate rest. The vacation time is a great time for students to take a mental breather from school. With many family outings and vacations during the holiday time, they will have less time to complete homework. They will come back to school feeling re-energized.
• Many parents and students dislike holiday homework.   You want parents to buy-in to your classroom community and support your endeavors with students. Assigning homework over the holidays is usually unpopular with parents because it may the one time of year they have to give children their undivided attention. Instead, you might want to take a survey to see if parents agree with the idea. You can then send a letter with the survey results. Taking parents’ perspectives into account shows you value their opinions and feedback. Students prefer some free time too. Not surprisingly one student created a Facebook page, titled, “Why do teachers give us homework over the holiday.” If the students know you are giving them a break over the holidays they may work harder for you when they get back.

If you’re still not convinced, check out this   fact sheet   based on   The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It   by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish. If you still plan on assigning homework over the holidays, at least keep in mind some guidelines.

The US   National Education Association   recommends no more than ten minutes per grade level, per night. If you must assign homework make sure it is meaningful and doesn’t take away from time with families. And most of all, remember what it was like being a kid during the holiday time. Homework is generally not a part of those memories, nor should it be. Those days playing outside and spending time with family are lifelong memories just as important as school.

Childhood is over in the blink of an eye.

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Please Don’t Assign Homework Over Winter Break

It sends the wrong message, period.

“Seven more school days til break!” Teachers and students alike have been counting down the minutes until holiday break. We are all ready for a rest from the stress and daily 5:30 am wake-up calls. Students are all looking forward to sleeping in, seeing friends, watching TikTok, and generally resting from the pressures of one thing: homework. Yes. Homework. Schools across the country still give homework over winter break, but here’s my take: Students need a complete break from all school work, and teachers do as well. Why?

Breaks increase productivity and creativity

Teachers need to take a break over the holidays. This has been one of the most stressful years, and we are all suffering from burnout or considering leaving the profession . A true break will hopefully replenish you while also leading to more creative ideas. Once you detach from the daily grind, you can spend time finding inspiration from the world again: through things you read and see for fun, cultural traditions and events, and conversations with family and friends. In addition, b reaks increase productivity in the long run for students and teachers.

It creates space for pleasure reading

Ask high school students when they last read a book for fun, and many will name something they read in junior high or even late elementary school. This isn’t necessarily because the student doesn’t like reading or prefers to play video games. Often it’s because books have become another thing to study in English class and not something to pursue on their own time. English teachers around the country have a great opportunity to “assign” reading for pleasure, without the obligation to take notes, annotate, track pages, and do other school-like tasks. When they return, converse with any students who  read over break, and you may be surprised by the authentic conversations that came with the opportunity to read for fun.

The final product isn’t worth it

Homework, in general, has come under fire in the past few years as not only unnecessary, but possibly harmful. Harris Cooper writes in The Battle over Homework : “Too much homework may diminish its effectiveness or even become counterproductive.” If this is the norm during the school year, we can infer that homework over winter break is going to be even less productive than normal, as students and their families are pursuing rest, relationship-building activities, and preparing for the holidays. Let’s think ahead a few weeks to what type of essay, worksheet, or project quality you will receive in those early weeks of January.

Start fresh for renewed motivation

Some schools use the holiday break as a natural space between the two semesters, as finals have just ended for many high schools and quarter three begins in January. Students are well aware that this break between quarters means you are not in the middle of a teaching unit, so assigned work can come off as extra or unnecessary busywork. They are called finals, after all, and students need a clean break between the successes or failures of the first semester and the beginning of the second. Work assigned between the two may be given without much context (are you really going to be able to present a fresh unit on their way out for break to contextualize homework you are giving?).

It sends the wrong message about work-life balance

Assigning work over break tells students and families that you don’t value their time together, learning outside of the classroom, or cultural traditions. Most teachers don’t feel that way, so don’t let your potential zeal to make it through the curriculum map create that perception. Model balance yourself by talking to your students about your plans over break and asking about theirs. Discussing the power of sleep, exercise, breaks, and quality time with loved ones both in this season and throughout the year might be the most important thing you teach them.

We’d love to hear—will you assign homework over winter break? Why or why not? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, why we shouldn’t assign work on snow days, either..

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How to deal with mental blocks when studying

Struggling to study for your next test? Finding it difficult to get to grips with understanding what you need to learn? Here are some tips on how to overcome those irritating 'mental blocks'.

See what you could study at uni

What's a mental block.

A mental block is when you find yourself not being able to think clearly. Think of it as a mental barrier that stops you from beig motivated, creative or productive.

We tend to think of mental blocks as something which only affects athletes but they affect us all in many ways, and can prevent us from achieving the goals and outcomes we set for ourselves.

What are the causes of mental blocks?

One of the biggest causes of mental blocks is a lack of focus and feeling overwhelmed. If you're feeling tired, stressed, or anxious this can all contribute to a lack of motivation.

Throughout your studies it can be easy to compare yourself to others, but you shouldn't. Constantly comparing your work against others can make you feel like yours isn't good enough and lead you into a path of self-doubt. It's important to remember that everyone has different styles when it comes to revising, researching and studying, so the only work you should be focusing on is your own.

Having a lack of structure in your studies can also negatively contribute to having a mental block. Not keeping to routines and timetables can sometimes make things seem chaotic, which can in turn make it harder to focus on the tasks you need to get done.

Not setting yourself smart goals can also contribute to getting mental blocks. Not looking at the future and what you have to come can result in you continuing to feel stuck, and may make it hard to overcome barriers.

How to remove mental blocks

As a GCSE, sixth form or uni student, at some point during your studies, you'll experience a 'mental block'. You might be struggling to wrap your head around how a particular concept works, confused as to why 'A+B=Q', or just finding that not a lot of information you're trying to learn is actually cozy in that long-term memory.

Now, just because it may feel as though there's a barrier in your mind preventing any new information entering, doesn't mean you can't find a way past it.

We've come up with a few ideas of how you can get over mental blocks.

So relax, refresh your mind, and have a clear head in order to tackle whatever mental block may arise.

Change your environment

Let's say that you're in your room, studying a tricky diagram laid out in class earlier that week. You might be struggling to grasp its meaning, which can lead to feelings of stress, concern, and confusion. Well, a useful thing to do in this situation is to change your environment.

Move to another part of your house, go into the garden, or even venture to an outdoor space nearby. Our brain has a cheeky way of associating how we feel with where we are. So changing your study space can not only relieve any stress, but it can  also allow for the mind to be de-cluttered and re-approach the problem.

Visit a friend

At the most basic level, human beings are naturally social creatures. We may not always crave the company of others, but we are neurologically hardwired to thrive off of human connection. Positive interactions with those we are close with can do wonders for how we feel, filling us with a stream of positive endorphins.

Chatting with a friend can be a gentle means of clearing the mind, providing a distraction from the problem at hand, and subsequently breezing past that mental block. Communication tools such as zoom are great, free apps that can help you stay connected to your friends in time when you need encouragement and support. 

Get some sleep

Sleep is one of the best things we can do for our mental and physical wellbeing. Yet as a student, it's often something we neglect in favour of just one more episode your favourite boxset.

But, in order to overcome a mental block, and improve your overall mental performance, getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night is as essential as drinking water.

If you're stuck on a topic, or you're finding that it's getting late into the evening and your brain's locked the door for the night, it might be time to get some rest. A good night's sleep can allow for a fresh approach the following day, with a refuelled and raring to go brain.

There are some great apps to help you relax and clear your mind such as Headspace . They support you to learn how to deal with everyday life stresses ad put your mind at ease to get you a better night's sleep. Aside from their app they also have many great resources to help you put your positive thoughts into practice. The calm app is another useful sleep app that strives to keep you fit mentally and is designed to help you relax and wake up feeling energised.

You'll be amazed at how closely linked, and reliant upon each other, the mind and the body truly are. A bit of exercise, whether it be as simple as a walk around the block, or a more intense gym 'like' session, allows your brain to have a break from the pressure it is put under through study. Exercise fills  your neural networks with a range of positive endorphins, and allow you to return to your work feeling refreshed.

There are some great podcasts through the NHS such as Couch to 5K . If you'd prefer to get active from the comfort of your own home then YouTube is the best place to start. The likes of Joe Wicks , Lucy Wyndham-Read and Madfit all have a great range of workouts for all levels.

Read and explore

Nobody has ever, or will ever, have all the answers. You may be struggling to get past a mental block because you can't seem to work out the answer and that's ok. But how we learn is through the teachings of others.

The solution to the problem which may be causing your mental block will likely lie within the depths of the internet, within a book or with either a classmate or teacher. So, if you're stuck, be adventurous. Do some exploring, read what ideas others have previously had, and you won't have to tackle the problem on your own.

In fact, if your mental block has anything to do with researching universities, you'll be able to find all manner of useful stuff on our very own website, including helpful university profiles and course profiles . We've made these tools to help you find the perfect uni and course easily, so have a browse and you'll see it's not as tough or confusing as you thought.

We all get mental blocks

Mental blocks don't discriminate. At different stages within your academic life, you will encounter a vast array of study material that you may not understand right away, or which may seem a bridge too far. But so is any new conquest. That is, until it's conquered.

Using a mix of these different tips and tricks that many of us at Whatuni have found useful over our years will truly help you overcome that mental block.

If they don't work right away, there's no need to stress. Keep trying, don't overthink it, and you'll be breaking down that barrier in no time.

Next steps:

- Stressed about exams? Read more revisions tips and tricks

- Struggling with mental health issues? Get advice here.

- Uni research stressing you out? Use our simple uni search and course search tools.

There are loads of excellent courses available for you to study at unis across the UK

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Why Teachers Shouldn’t Give Homework Over Breaks

Students highly anticipate the Thanksgiving and Winter breaks each year; however, they are starting to become more and more dreadful due to loads of busy work. These breaks should be free of homework so kids can relax, get rid of stress, and have fun without worrying about tons of projects. Teachers should think about one major question: what’s the point of taking a break in the school year when homework is assigned? These days off should give students free time and an opportunity to take a break. I know from recent experience that it’s incredibly stressful to have as many as four projects to do at the same time. Teachers have no consideration of workloads from other classes. We’d like to sit back and relax every now and then. Just a thought… Another point to consider: by assigning more homework, it creates more work for the teacher. Why would anyone want to do that? I’m not a teacher, but I’m sure they’d like a break from busy work too! By giving homework over the breaks, teachers are stuck grading worksheets and papers for at least a week after the break…who likes that? All teachers out there: the next time you consider giving a project over a long break, think about the consequences. Although these projects seem necessary for learning, they’re only creating stress and worry for students who are conscientious about getting all of their homework done. By using class time to its fullest, projects and additional homework assignments shouldn’t be necessary. I understand we need homework to learn, but an overload of homework, say three to four projects due within days of each other, can create too much stress for students that are just trying to enjoy their high school experience.

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Join the discussion.

This article has 6 comments.

Favorite Quote: why blend in when you were born to stand out?

HEY. Guess what I'm doing over break?

-Studying for a Chapter 19 test for APEC

-Writing an essay

-Studying for an Honors Humanities test

-Doing an Honors Humanities project

-Doing APEC homework

-Doing Spanish homework

-Doing Math homework

-Studying for a math test

What did ALL of my teachers say?

"It's okay, you have a week to do this. That's plenty of time."

Alright, sure, but there's this little thing called being a teenager, uhuh, it's new. It's where you have fun and enjoy thanksgiving and procrastinate your homework until Sunday night. And everybody does it.

SO GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PRECIOUS FINALS when the homework you're giving is being procrastinated anyways, and giving you lower scores from people not doing it, and giving you more to grade, and being useless because people rushed through it, and only adding stress to teens lives.

THAT is why you should NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVERRRRRRRRR GIVE FREAKING HOMEWORK OVER THE FREAKING ONLY TIME TEENAGERS GET A FREAKING BREAK!!!!!!!!! AHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite Quote: Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all-- Into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary. --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

I disagree 100%. Teachers assign homework because over break, we'll forget most of the material that we'll need for FINALSSS. It's for OUR benefit, not for punishment.

And students should toughen up about this, especially if they plan to go to college because college is NOT play-time.

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Trump Has Been Convicted. Here’s What Happens Next.

Donald J. Trump has promised to appeal, but he may face limits on his ability to travel and to vote as he campaigns for the White House.

• Share full article

By Jesse McKinley and Maggie Astor

• May 30, 2024

The conviction of former President Donald J. Trump on Thursday is just the latest step in his legal odyssey in New York’s court system. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, set Mr. Trump’s sentencing for July 11, at which point he could be sentenced to as much as four years behind bars, or to probation.

It won’t stop him from running for president, though: There is no legal prohibition on felons doing that . No constitutional provision would stop him even from serving as president from a prison cell, though in practice that would trigger a crisis that courts would almost certainly have to resolve.

His ability to vote — for himself, presumably — depends on whether he is sentenced to prison. Florida, where he is registered, requires felons convicted there to complete their full sentence, including parole or probation, before regaining voting rights. But when Floridians are convicted in another state, Florida defers to the laws of that state, and New York disenfranchises felons only while they are in prison.

The Trump Manhattan Criminal Verdict, Count By Count

Former President Donald J. Trump faced 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, related to the reimbursement of hush money paid to the porn star Stormy Daniels in order to cover up a sex scandal around the 2016 presidential election.

“Because Florida recognizes voting rights restoration in the state of conviction, and because New York’s law states that those with a felony conviction do not lose their right to vote unless they are incarcerated during the election, then Trump will not lose his right to vote in this case unless he is in prison on Election Day,” said Blair Bowie, a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit watchdog group.

Mr. Trump will almost certainly appeal his conviction, after months of criticizing the case and attacking the Manhattan district attorney, who brought it, and Justice Merchan, who presided over his trial.

Long before that appeal is heard, however, Mr. Trump will be enmeshed in the gears of the criminal justice system.

A pre-sentencing report makes recommendations based on the defendant’s criminal record — Mr. Trump had none before this case — as well as his personal history and the crime itself. The former president was found guilty of falsifying business records in relation to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who says she had a brief sexual tryst with Mr. Trump in 2006, in order to buy her silence.

At the pre-sentence interview, a psychologist or social worker working for the probation department may also talk to Mr. Trump, during which time the defendant can “try to make a good impression and explain why he or she deserves a lighter punishment,” according to the New York State Unified Court System.

The pre-sentencing report can also include submissions from the defense, and may describe whether “the defendant is in a counseling program or has a steady job.”

In Mr. Trump’s case, of course, he is applying — as it were — for a steady job as president of the United States, a campaign that may be complicated by his new status as a felon. Mr. Trump will likely be required to regularly report to a probation officer, and rules on travel could be imposed.

Mr. Trump was convicted of 34 Class E felonies, New York’s lowest level , each of which carry a potential penalty of up to four years in prison. Probation or home confinement are other possibilities that Justice Merchan can consider.

That said, Justice Merchan has indicated in the past that he takes white-collar crime seriously . If he did impose prison time, he would likely impose the punishment concurrently, meaning that Mr. Trump would serve time on each of the counts he was convicted of simultaneously.

If Mr. Trump were instead sentenced to probation, he could still be jailed if he were later found to have committed additional crimes. Mr. Trump, 77, currently faces three other criminal cases: two federal, dealing with his handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election , and a state case in Georgia that concerns election interference.

Mr. Trump’s lawyers can file a notice of appeal after sentencing, scheduled for July 11 at 10 a.m. And the judge could stay any punishment during an appeal, something that could delay punishment beyond Election Day.

The proceedings will continue even if he wins: Because it’s a state case, not federal, Mr. Trump would have no power as president to pardon himself .

Jesse McKinley is a Times reporter covering upstate New York, courts and politics. More about Jesse McKinley

Maggie Astor covers politics for The New York Times, focusing on breaking news, policies, campaigns and how underrepresented or marginalized groups are affected by political systems. More about Maggie Astor

Our Coverage of the Trump Hush-Money Trial

Guilty Verdict : Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 counts  of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened his bid for the White House in 2016, making him the first American president to be declared a felon .

Next Steps: The judge in the case set Trump’s sentencing for July 11, and Trump already indicated that he plans to appeal. Here’s what else may happen .

Reactions: Trump’s conviction reverberated quickly across the country and over the world . Here’s what Trump , voters , New Yorkers , Republicans  and the White House  had to say.

The Presidential Race : The verdict will test America’s traditions, legal institutions and ability to hold an election under historic partisan tension , reshuffling a race that has been locked in stasis and defined by a polarizing former president.

Making the Case: Over six weeks and the testimony of 20 witnesses, the Manhattan district attorney’s office wove a sprawling story  of election interference and falsified business records.

Legal Luck Runs Out: The four criminal cases that threatened Trump’s freedom had been stumbling along, pleasing his advisers. Then his good fortune expired .

Connecting the Dots: As rumors circulated of Trump’s reported infidelity, two accounts of women  being paid to stay silent about their encounters became central to his indictment.

What was Trump found guilty of? See the 34 business records the jury decided he falsified

Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after prosecutors successfully convinced a jury he disguised hush money reimbursement as legal expenses. He is the first former president to be convicted of a crime.

Each count is tied to a different business record that prosecutors demonstrated Trump is responsible for changing to conceal or commit another crime .

Those records include 11 checks paid to former lawyer Michael Cohen , 11 invoices from Michael Cohen and 12 entries in Trump's ledgers.

The jury found that Trump authorized a plan to reimburse Cohen for the $130,000 hush money payment issued to Stormy Daniels and spread the payments across 12 months disguised as legal expenses.

Live updates: Former President Donald Trump found guilty on all counts in hush money case

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Breakdown of 34 counts of falsifying business records

Here are the 34 business records Trump was found guilty of falsifying, as described in Judge Juan Merchan 's jury instructions :

• Count 1: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Feb. 14, 2017
• Count 2: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust dated Feb. 14, 2017
• Count 3: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust dated Feb. 14, 2017
• Count 4: A Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust Account check and check stub dated Feb. 14, 2017
• Count 5: Michael Cohen's invoice dated March 16, 2017
• Count 6: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust dated March 17, 2017
• Count 7: A Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust Account check and check stub dated March 17, 2017
• Count 8: Michael Cohen's invoice dated April 13, 2017
• Count 9: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated June 19, 2017
• Count 10: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated June 19, 2017
• Count 11: Michael Cohen's invoice dated May 22, 2017
• Count 12: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated May 22, 2017
• Count 13: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub May 23, 2017
• Count 14: Michael Cohen's invoice dated June 16, 2017
• Count 15: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated June 19, 2017
• Count 16: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated June 19, 2017
• Count 17: Michael Cohen's invoice dated July 11, 2017
• Count 18: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated July 11, 2017
• Count 19: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated July 11, 2017
• Count 20: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Aug. 1, 2017
• Count 21: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Aug. 1, 2017
• Count 22: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Aug. 1, 2017
• Count 23: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Sept. 11, 2017
• Count 24: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Sept. 11, 2017
• Count 25: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Sept. 12, 2017
• Count 26: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Oct. 18, 2017
• Count 27: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Oct. 18, 2017
• Count 28: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Oct. 18, 2017
• Count 29: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Nov. 20, 2017
• Count 30: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Nov. 20, 2017
• Count 31: A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Nov. 21, 2017
• Count 32: Michael Cohen's invoice dated Dec. 1, 2017
• Count 33: Entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump dated Dec. 1, 2017
• Count 34: A check and check stub dated Dec. 5 2017

Jurors saw copies of these records entered as evidence. Evidence from the entire trial is available on the New York Courts website .

Contributing: Aysha Bagchi

Are electric cars better for the environment than fuel-powered cars? Here's the verdict

Whether you drive an electric car or are considering making the switch, you've probably been drawn into a discussion about whether they are really better for the climate.

Electric cars are key to the world reducing emissions, with transport accounting for almost 20 per cent and rising, so you probably haven't had that debate for the last time.

To save you from your next barbecue encounter, we have turned to the EV Council, which has crunched the numbers for you.

We're comparing an electric car and a traditional petrol one and looking at the life-cycle emissions — that is, all the emissions produced from cradle to grave.

For both types of car, these are the key stages where emissions are produced:

• manufacturing of the car,
• production of the battery, especially for electric cars
• running the cars over their life-cycle, either on petrol or electricity
• disposal and recycling of the vehicle at the end of its life, including batteries

We'll also compare electric cars in different states because each state uses different amounts of fossil fuels for electricity, which affects how "clean" the car is.

To compare cars, we've chosen an average medium SUV, the sort of car you commonly see on Australian roads.

Some examples of a medium SUV are the electric Tesla Model Y, Toyota's RAV4 and the Mazda CX-5 on the petrol side.

So, buckle up and let's go.

Let's start at when the car is made

Manufacturing covers the production of the raw materials in the car's metal body, interiors, tyres, seating, the whole bundle. At this first stage, all these cars come out with similar emissions profiles.

… adding batteries for EVs

Battery production is the stage where we start to see a split between petrol and electric cars.

Electric vehicles (EV) are powered by batteries, so their batteries are significantly larger and heavier, and use more critical minerals. Our electric SUV also needs a bigger battery than a small hatchback.

It's important to note that this is about life-cycle emissions, so we aren't evaluating other environmental or human rights impacts from battery production for EVs, and we're also not critiquing the oil industry in those areas for petrol cars. That barbecue debate is for another day.

Batteries produced in China have higher emissions than those produced in Europe, and as most Australian electric cars currently have Chinese-made batteries, that's what's used here.

Climate experts and even the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expect these figures to drop as more renewable energy is used in the coming years to make the batteries.

"So the energy needed to produce batteries is decarbonised, and therefore has lower emissions," according to University of Technology Sydney transport researcher, Robin Smit.

So at this point, before the cars hit the road, electric cars have more embedded emissions.

But that all changes when you start driving …

Taking our cars on the road

It won't shock you to find out that most of a car's lifetime emissions come from powering it to drive.

"The fuel energy cycle is normally the most important part of the life-cycle assessment [and] that includes on-road driving, the maintenance, and of course, the production of the energy," Professor Smit said.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimates the average Australian car drives about 12,600 kilometres a year, or 189,000 over its lifetime, so that is what's used in this modelling.

Petrol cars are dirty. That's a fact. Combustion cars are powered by burning petrol, which releases emissions into the atmosphere and is — pardon the pun — a major climate change driver. These are referred to as "tailpipe emissions".

The petrol SUV here is up against an electric SUV charged on the national grid, which has a mix of fossil fuels and renewables.

Our petrol SUV produces almost 46 tonnes of carbon over its lifetime on the road.

These figures also factor in the emissions coming from refining and transporting the fuel.

"When you look at fossil fuels, they need to be extracted, processed, and then transported to service stations, for example, to make them available. So there's a greenhouse gas emission costs associated with that," Professor Smit said.

The estimated petrol used here is 8.3 litres for 100km and comes from the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). These figures are almost always lower than real-world petrol use.

So, a lot of energy is burnt to move petrol cars, but most of it is wasted.

"They are not efficient, about 70 to 80 per cent of the energy is wasted in heat. So you only use 20 to 30 per cent of the energy into fuels for actually driving around," Professor Smit said.

What's more, Australians typically drive heavier cars than other countries, especially in Europe. Heavier cars require more fuel to move them, resulting in higher emissions.

This all means that petrol cars start producing significantly more emissions during their use, leaving electric cars in the dust.

Let's look at a different view of our two cars as we drive them for 15 years or 189,000km. Petrol cars are displayed in the blue line, and electric cars in red .

Electric cars are powered by electricity (obviously!) but how that electricity is created makes a huge difference to the overall emissions profile of EVs.

You can see emissions for the petrol car   rise while the electric car's life-cycle emissions curve is flattening. That's because the composition of our electricity grid is rapidly changing and more renewables are coming online.

To account for that, this modelling from the EV Council uses the scenario mapped out by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) which predicts the rate of new renewables coming into the grid and fossil fuel plants being decommissioned. That is, by 2030, the same electric car will be producing lower emissions because it will be charged with more renewable power.

So this is for Australia as a whole, but where you live can also have a big impact on how much cleaner an EV is.

Some Australian states already have mostly renewable energy powering their grids, while others still have lots of fossil fuels.

A car that's charged off a grid with lots of fossil fuels produces much higher emissions than a car charged somewhere with mostly renewable energy.

Let's look at our electric SUV in Western Australia, where in 2022 more than 83 per cent of electricity came from fossil fuels, mostly gas.

Now this is what our SUV's emissions look like in Tasmania (shown in the green line) , which powers almost its entire electricity network on hydro.

It's the same in South Australia, which has lots of wind and solar energy in the grid. You can see here that no matter where the EV is, it saves tonnes of emissions overall compared to a petrol SUV.

This highlights the huge opportunity to reduce transport emissions with electric cars.

The cleaner the grid, the cleaner the electric car.

What about cars charged on rooftop solar?

More than 3 million Australian homes have rooftop solar and, according to a 2021 survey, most EV owners plug into their own set-up.

A car that's charged with rooftop solar produces even lower emissions over its lifetime.

"When you use solar panels, they basically have very small-to-negligible emissions," Professor Smit noted.

Less than a tonne of carbon over all those kilometres!

Now, it's time to say goodbye to our cars and send them to the car afterlife …

Getting rid of our cars

According to Professor Smit, the greenhouse gas emissions from taking cars off the road are small compared to the overall driving life of a car.

What's more, most of the materials in a car can be recycled, so this offsets some of the emissions from the production of the car at the start of the cycle.

To complete our emission profile, let's add the emissions for the disposal of our cars.

There's a lot of potential for improvements here too.

It takes a lot of grunt to power a car, and when a battery can no longer do that and comes out of an electric car, it still holds a lot of value and charging potential.

It can be used as a backup household battery, for example. Some car companies like Tesla are already using old car batteries to power their factories.

It's estimated this second life for EV batteries could cut the carbon footprint of battery production by half.

At the finish line

Overall, every electric car will produce fewer emissions than its petrol equivalent, no matter where they are charged.

Even with an electricity grid that still uses some fossil fuels, electric cars have much lower overall carbon emissions, and that will continue to drop as the electricity gets greener.

And remember, this example uses SUVs, so lighter electric cars like hatchbacks have even lower emissions.

Hang on, what about hybrids?

Put simply, hybrids are complicated.

Plug-in hybrids can be run off either petrol or from a battery that's plugged in and charged. Therefore, the life-cycle emissions from a plug-in hybrid depend on the region where it gets charged but also on how diligent the driver is with charging. Remember, it can also run on petrol.

The European Union's Environment Agency recently found that emissions from plug-in hybrids were 3.5 times higher than reported.

It concluded that hybrids "are charged and driven in electric mode much less than how they were expected to be used".

Where we get our figures from

These figures come from the Electric Vehicle Council, which based its life-cycle emissions calculator on modelling from the European organisation Transport & Environment .

We got Professor Smit to look over the EV Council's modelling and he said while it was generous to petrol cars, it provided a good way to compare life-cycle emissions.

The inputs for petrol use are based on the WLTP . As mentioned in the story, this is likely to underestimate real-world petrol usage.

The modelling uses data for a Nickel-Mangenese-Cobalt NMC li-ion battery produced in China, as that's the most common type of battery in the Australian EV market.

It calculates 105kg CO2/KWh  for the carbon produced from battery production .

This same study found that "producing batteries with photovoltaic electricity instead of Chinese coal-based electricity decreases climate impacts of battery production by 69 per cent". Considering this estimate would reduce the emissions calculation in the point we make about battery production.

For a medium electric SUV, the energy used is 17.3 KWh/100km and a battery size of 70.2 KWh average for cars available in that category.

The emissions factors for energy sources are based on data from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change  here. 

To model the rate of renewables coming into the grid, the EV Council used the step-change scenario from the AEMO .

Statements about the composition of the electricity grids in different states come from 2022 numbers from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

The estimate of recycling emissions comes from a study by Transport & Environment .

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How Trump’s guilty verdict will impact the 2024 presidential election

Trump may lose some support, but the drop could be temporary.

Scandals have swirled around former President Donald Trump since his first presidential campaign in 2016. But as of Thursday — having been found guilty on all counts in his New York hush-money case — he is now officially a convicted felon. Could that fact cut through all the other headlines and be a game-changer for the 2024 election?

At first glance, there's some evidence from polls that this conviction will meaningfully erode Trump's support. An April survey from CNN/SSRS found that, while 76 percent of Trump supporters said they would support Trump regardless, 24 percent said they "might reconsider" their support for him if he was convicted. And a May poll from Emerson College found that 25 percent of voters said a guilty verdict in New York would make them less likely to vote for Trump.

A few pollsters have also asked two versions of the standard "who will you vote for?" question in recent weeks : one straightforward one, and one that asked respondents who they would vote for if Trump was convicted in the New York case. On average, Trump went from leading by 1 percentage point in these polls without considering the conviction to trailing by 6 points with it.

But Democrats would be wise to not get too excited about these numbers. Take another look at the wording of the CNN/SSRS poll: Twenty-four percent of Trump supporters said they "might reconsider" their vote. That's not the same as "will definitely change" their vote! In light of this conviction, many Trump supporters might simply have a crisis of confidence about their vote without outright switching to President Joe Biden.

That's basically what another poll from ABC News/Ipsos found. Like CNN/SSRS, they asked Trump supporters what they would do if Trump was convicted in the New York case, but they provided options for both "reconsider" and "no longer support." Sixteen percent said they would reconsider supporting Trump, but only 4 percent said they would no longer support him. (Similar to CNN/SSRS, 80 percent said they would continue to support him.)

Likewise, you should always be careful with polls like Emerson's that ask Americans whether something makes them more or less likely to vote a certain way. Respondents often don't take these questions literally ; instead, they use them as a proxy for whether they approve or disapprove of the thing being asked about.

Indeed, over three-quarters of those who told Emerson a conviction would make them "less likely" to vote for Trump had told the pollster on a different question that they were already voting for Biden. By contrast, only 11 percent of Trump voters said a guilty verdict would make them less likely to vote for him — so the potential impact on his actual support is much smaller than it initially appears.

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Other polls also support the theory that this conviction won't cause mass defections to Biden. Those horse-race polls I cited above? They don't actually show many Trump voters switching their vote to Biden. Instead, most of the support Trump loses goes into the undecided column or to an unnamed, hypothetical "someone else":

On average, Trump loses 6 points of support after a conviction is taken into account — but Biden gains only 1 point. "Someone else" or undecided gains 5 points. That's consistent with the idea that this conviction will make some Trump supporters squeamish about the idea of pulling the lever for him, so they will stop identifying as Trump supporters for a while — but most of them won't go so far as to vote for Biden.

And that, in turn, could indicate that this drop in Trump's support will be short-lived. Sure, Trump supporters who abandon him after this conviction could conceivably abstain from voting or vote for a third-party candidate. But the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, so there's also a good chance that they will eventually get over their discomfort and return to Trump's side, especially considering there are still five months left until Election Day — plenty of time for Trump to spin a narrative that helps voters overcome any hangups about voting for a convicted felon.

We don't need to search far for a precedent for this. In October 2016, Trump's campaign was blindsided by the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, on which Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. Polls at the time showed that the tape made some Republicans uncomfortable about supporting Trump , and his national support in 538's polling average at the time fell by about 1 point. But Trump's support quickly recovered: Within three weeks of the tape's release, he was polling better than he was before it.

That said, even if most Trump defectors only switch to undecided and eventually return to the fold, that doesn't mean the conviction will have zero effect on the race. That average 1-point gain for Biden isn't nothing — in a close race (which 2024 is shaping up to be), it could mean the difference between winning and losing. But it's also important not to overstate the conviction's impact. If the hush-money trial ends up determining the presidential race, it will likely be because the campaign was a game of inches anyway.

Irena Li contributed research.

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Q&A on Trump’s Criminal Conviction

By Robert Farley , D'Angelo Gore , Lori Robertson and Eugene Kiely

Posted on May 31, 2024

Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino .

Donald Trump became the first U.S. president, current or former, to be convicted of a criminal offense when a 12-person jury in New York on May 30 found him guilty on 34 felony counts of business fraud as part of an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 election by making payments to suppress a sordid tale of sex with a porn star.

The unprecedented conviction raises questions about what’s next for the 77-year-old man who is in line to become the Republican Party’s nominee for president in 2024.

In remarks at Trump Tower a day after his conviction, Trump called the United States “ a corrupt country ” and declared that he would be “ appealing this scam .”

(Trump also repeated many of the false, misleading and unsupported claims he has made about the judge, the judge’s rulings, the district attorney and other issues related to the trial. For more about Trump’s talking points, see our May 30 article, “ Trump’s Repeated Claims on His New York Hush Money Trial .” He also repeated false and unsubstantiated claims on other issues, such as taxes and migrants .)

Here, we answer some of the questions raised by the former president’s conviction:

What are the next steps in the case? What punishment could Trump face? Will he go to prison? Can Trump vote in the 2024 election? Can a felon run for president, hold office? Can Trump pardon himself on this conviction, if he wins?

What are the next steps in the case?

Sentencing and an appeal are up next in this case.

Sentencing by Justice Juan Merchan is scheduled for July 11. Before that date, a probation officer or someone in that department will interview Trump, and potentially others involved in the case or connected to Trump, and prepare  a pre-sentence report  for the judge. The report includes the personal history and criminal record of the defendant, and it recommends what sentence the defendant should receive, according to the New York State Unified Court System.

“The pre-sentence interview is a chance for the defendant to try to make a good impression and explain why he or she deserves a lighter punishment,” the state court system explains.

Trump’s lawyers have to wait until after the sentencing to appeal the conviction. First, Trump’s lawyers will file motions before the judge “in a couple weeks” saying why they found the trial to be “unfair,” Trump’s defense attorney Todd Blanche  told CNN  hours after the guilty verdict.

Cheryl Bader , a clinical associate professor of law at Fordham University School of Law, said these motions are typical when a defendant is convicted. The defense attorneys will ask the judge to overturn the jury’s conviction. “It’s rarely, rarely granted, and I don’t think there’s a chance that will happen in this case,” she told us in a phone interview.

Blanche told CNN that if the motions aren’t successful, “then as soon as we can appeal, we will. And the process in New York is there’s a sentencing, and then — and then we appeal from there.”

Bader, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, walked us through the appeals process. “The case is considered completed at sentencing,” she said. “At that point, his lawyers file a notice of appeal … letting the court know that he intends to appeal.”

At that point, they will also request a “stay” on the sentence, meaning a pause on imposing the sentence while the case is being appealed.

This appeal goes to the  Appellate Division, First Judicial Department  in Manhattan. The appeals court doesn’t retry the case. “They’re not going to substitute their judgment on the facts for the jury’s judgment,” Bader explained. Instead, “they’re looking for where there was error that would have led to an improper prosecution or an unfair trial.”

The appeals process would take several months to a year, she said. After the notice of appeal is given, the record of the case is gathered, including trial transcripts, the indictment, pretrial motions, evidentiary rulings, jury selection and instructions, and more. Trump could also appeal the sentencing. The lawyers need to write their arguments for all of the issues they’re objecting to, and that takes time, Bader said.

And then the appeals court needs to consider the case and write a decision on it.

If Trump ultimately isn’t successful at the appellate level, he can appeal to the highest court in New York state, which is called the  Court of Appeals . But the court decides whether or not it takes the case.

After such an appeal to the highest state court, the case would be over — unless Trump tries to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. But there has to be a U.S. constitutional issue for that. “I don’t see one,” Bader said, but perhaps Trump’s lawyers would try to make an argument.

What punishment could Trump face? Will he go to prison?

Whether Trump is sentenced to any time in prison is up to the judge.

Each of the 34 counts of  falsifying business records in the first degree , a class E felony, carries a maximum sentence of up to  four years in prison . The judge could decide to impose the sentences consecutively or simultaneously. However, under New York law,  20 years  is the maximum prison time that Trump could get — not 187 years, as Trump  falsely claimed  in his May 31 remarks.

Norman Eisen , a CNN legal analyst and a senior fellow in governance studies for the Brookings Institution, said that “in the most serious” cases of business records falsification in New York that he studied, “a sentence of imprisonment was routinely imposed.” Trump’s case “is the most serious one in NY history,”  he wrote  on X, predicting that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin “Bragg will likely ask for incarceration & Merchan will consider it.”

While possible, Bader, with Fordham’s School of Law, told us she doesn’t think incarceration will happen.

For a first-time convicted felon, with a low-level, nonviolent felony and a person of advanced age, “under any circumstance like that, there’d be a relatively low chance of incarceration,” she said.

“On the other hand, I could see the prosecutor arguing that here’s a man who has shown disrespect for the court system and the rule of law and has violated the court’s orders on numerous occasions. He is not remorseful. And that in order to promote general deterrence, he needs to be punished,” she said in describing a possible argument from the prosecutor.

Bader said any incarceration sentence “would be only a token amount of time to make the point that Trump is not above the law.” Other sentencing possibilities include probation or a “conditional discharge” with conditions other than incarceration or probation.

The “simplest” option might be for the judge to fine Trump, she said.

Can Trump vote in the 2024 election?

Yes, Trump can vote as long as he is not in jail on Election Day, which this year is on Nov. 5.

Trump owns homes in New York and Florida, but in 2019 he changed his primary residence to Florida. However, Florida law does not apply in Trump’s case because he was convicted in New York. Instead, New York law applies.

“If you were convicted outside Florida, your voting rights are governed by the state where you were convicted,” as the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida explains on its website.

In 2021, New York state enacted a law that “restores the right to vote for a person convicted of a felony upon release from incarceration, regardless of if they are on parole or have a term of post-release supervision,” the New York State Board of Elections says . “If a convicted felon is not incarcerated, they are eligible to register to vote.”

Can a felon run for president, hold office?

Yes. According to Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution, there are three qualifications to serve as president: He or she must be at least 35 years old upon taking office, a U.S. resident for at least 14 years and a “natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States.”

“These qualifications are understood to be exclusive,” Josh Chafetz , a Georgetown University law professor, told us last year when we were writing about Trump’s federal indictment related to allegations of mishandling sensitive classified documents after he left office. “Anyone can be president so long as they meet the constitutional qualifications and do not trigger any constitutional disqualifications.”

“Someone can run for president while under indictment or even having been convicted and serving prison time,” said Chafetz, who pointed to the example of Eugene V. Debs, the late labor leader, who, in 1920, ran for president from prison on the Socialist Party ticket and got almost 1 million votes.

There is an exception to that rule. The Constitution says in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment that no U.S. officeholder, including the president, can serve if they are convicted of “engag[ing] in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. — something Trump has not been charged with either in this case or the three others he faces.

Six Colorado voters successfully sued in state court to prevent Trump from appearing on that state’s ballot, citing the constitutional amendment barring insurrectionists from holding federal office. But the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the state ruling, “[b]ecause the Constitution makes Congress, rather than the States, responsible for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates.”

Can Trump pardon himself on this conviction, if he wins?

The short answer is no.

Trump was convicted in New York for offenses in violation of state law. Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states that a president has the “[p]ower to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States.” According to Constitution Annotated , a government-sanctioned record of the interpretations of the Constitution, that means the power extends to “federal crimes but not state or civil wrongs.”

In a case decided in 1925, Ex parte Grossman , the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that interpretation, writing that the Constitution’s language specifying presidential pardon power for offenses “against the United States” was “presumably to make clear that the pardon of the President was to operate upon offenses against the United States as distinguished from offenses against the States.”

The New York governor has the power to pardon Trump for his conviction of crimes under state law. That’s currently Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat. After the verdict, Republican Rep. Nick LaLota called on Hochul “to immediately announce her intention to pardon President Trump and pre-emptively commute any sentence. To not do so is to allow America to become a banana republic.” Hochul released a statement on May 30 saying, “Today’s verdict reaffirms that no one is above the law.”

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Trump Convicted: Here Are The Election And Tax Laws He Was Charged With Breaking

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Jurors are now deliberating over whether former President Donald Trump should be convicted on 34 felony counts, with a verdict expected at any point—but in order for the charges to be felonies, they’ll also have to consider whether other underlying crimes were also committed, a three-step process that jurors can partially disagree on. (Update: Jury finds Trump guilty in hush-money trial.)

Former President Donald Trump attends his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30 in ... [+] New York City.

Trump was accused of falsifying reimbursement checks he paid to ex-attorney Michael Cohen, after Cohen paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 before the 2016 election to cover up allegations of an affair—with prosecutors arguing the checks were falsely labeled as being for legal services.

While falsification of business records only requires someone to have “[made] or [caused] a false entry in the business records of an enterprise” under New York law , the crime is just a misdemeanor at that stage, and becomes a felony if it’s proven the defendant falsified records “with intent to defraud that includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.”

That means the jury must show Trump falsified records to cover a second crime, which prosecutors allege is New York’s election law prohibiting “conspir[ing] to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means”—since Cohen allegedly paid off Daniels in order to boost Trump’s chances in the 2016 election.

Since that law requires defendants to have influenced an election through “unlawful means,” jurors will also have to determine whether a third crime was committed that made the hush money scheme violate the election law.

In his instructions Wednesday, Judge Juan Merchan gave jurors several choices for that third crime to show “unlawful means.”

The third “unlawful” action could be violating the Federal Election Campaign Act, meaning Cohen’s payment to Daniels was a contribution to Trump’s campaign that exceeded the legal limit—which Cohen already pleaded guilty to .

The third crime could also be falsifying other business records, after Cohen created a fake shell company to send the Daniels payment in 2016, or violating tax laws by making false entries on tax returns related to the payment.

Surprising Fact

While all the jurors must agree on the first and second crimes—that Trump falsified business records in order to cover up the election crime—for him to be convicted, they can differ on the third crime, or the “unlawful means” to influence an election. Some jurors could think campaign finance laws were broken and others could think there were tax violations, for instance.

The judge’s instructions also explained to the jury what’s known as “accessorial liability,” meaning that Trump can still be convicted for crimes he undertook in conjunction with someone else—like Cohen—as long as there’s proof that he “solicited, requested, commanded, importuned, or intentionally aided that person to engage” in the illegal conduct. That means even if Cohen or someone else directly carried out an illegal action, like falsifying the business records or making an illegal campaign contribution, Trump could still be convicted based on that if the jury found he enabled the crime.

What To Watch For

Jurors are on their second day of deliberations, after they first started deliberating Wednesday at approximately 11:30 a.m. Eastern time. It’s still unclear how long it will take them to reach a final decision and what that could be—whether convicting Trump, acquitting him, or having a hung jury if they can’t reach a unanimous decision. If Trump is convicted, each of the counts against him are punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 per offense and/or up to four years in prison, though legal experts believe it’s unlikely —but not out of the question—that Trump would be sentenced to prison as a first-time offender.

Merchan’s jury instructions started garnering criticism on the right on Wednesday, as Trump and some of his supporters falsely claimed jurors did not have to reach a unanimous decision in order to convict Trump. Jurors do need to reach a unanimous verdict and must all agree that Trump falsified records in order to cover up the underlying election crime—they’re just allowed to reach different conclusions about what unlawful means Trump or Cohen used to influence the election.

Chief Critic

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and decried the case as a “witch hunt,” and has complained about Merchan’s instructions to the jury. In addition to his false claims that jurors’ verdict isn’t required to be unanimous, Trump said on Truth Social Wednesday he doesn’t “even know what the charges are,” claiming he’s “ENTITLED TO SPECIFICITY JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE” and the jury instructions were “RIDICULOUS, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND UNAMERICAN.”

Key Background

Trump was indicted in Manhattan in March 2023, becoming the first sitting or former president to be indicted on criminal charges. The charges are part of 91 total charges Trump has been indicted on in state and federal court, though a few charges in Georgia have since been dropped . (The ex-president has pleaded not guilty to all of them.) Trump’s charges in Manhattan are based on a series of $35,000 reimbursement checks that he sent to Cohen throughout 2017, reimbursing the $130,000 payment to Daniels and adding on an additional expense, a bonus for Cohen and enough money to cover taxes on the payment. While prosecutors allege those checks were falsely labeled as being for legal services, Trump’s lawyers have claimed they were properly labeled because Cohen was serving as Trump’s attorney at the time. They have also alleged Trump was not aware of the hush money scheme. Witnesses at the trial have testified how silencing Daniels’ allegations of having an affair with Trump was done because the claims could have hurt Trump’s chances in the 2016 election, particularly after the release of a tape from “Access Hollywood” showing Trump making derogatory comments about women. Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance crimes in conjunction with the payment in 2018, saying they constituted an illegal campaign contribution.

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