Fall break homework would be the breaking point

Illustration by Olivia Havre | Photographer

By The Editorial Board

We’re all starting to feel it — the urge to stay in bed just five minutes longer, the desperation for our professors to cancel for any reason or the thought of “OK, but do I actually need to study?”

It’s that wonderful time of the year when burnout comes along to kick you when you’re down.

But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel! Fall break is just around the corner, so you can take the time you need to catch up on sleep or family time or even work if that’s your cup of tea.

Ah, the glorious feeling of having time to do what you want when you want — that is, unless your professors decide to assign homework or schedule a test or quiz for Monday. “You’ll have an extra day” to study, complete the assignment or ignore the voice in the back of your head that’s begging you to sleep with the last ounce of breath it has left.

It almost seems like professors come out of the woodwork to assign work over fall break, and they shrug it off with a passive, “I know you’ll have some extra time to work on it.” Excuse us: It’s one extra day.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. How can you expect us to conquer extra assignments from each of our courses while also getting the rest our bodies are begging us for? It’s just not possible.

Not to mention the fact that if those same professors did this over spring break, Thanksgiving break or, God forbid, Diadeloso, Fountain Mall would be absolutely amuck with students protesting the ruthless gall these professors seem to have.

You don’t see us slyly saying, “Hey professor, in your extra time, I’d really love to see the assignments I’ve turned in graded by Monday.” So don’t do it to us.

Fall break was created for a reason. It’s a built-in time for students to stop running around and juggling between 12 to 20 credit hours with extracurriculars, part-time or full-time jobs and social lives for just one day.

Only eight of the 17 weeks are done, and we are absolutely drained. If there aren’t breaks that professors respect and acknowledge we need, then we will not be successful when we put the last of our limited energy toward their finals in nine weeks.

On the flip side, students, don’t waste your time off. We know it’s hard to close your computer and ignore the mountain of work you have to do, but you’re helping your future self out if you take the day to relax.