The following piece is an opinion and does not reflect the views of The Eagle and its staff. All opinions are edited for grammar, style and argument structure and fact-checked, but the opinions are the writer’s own.
Spring break used to give us much needed freedom to catch up on sleep, hang out with our family, opportunities to travel or even a mixture of it all. Yet, slowly, that freedom has disappeared over time. Looking at a class syllabus and seeing “NO CLASS” listed in bold with a laundry list of assignments or readings that need to be completed over the break is completely counterintuitive.
Spring break is not the only time this happens; one past professor gave me a list of assigned readings and a discussion post on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.When did professors forget that students need this time to relax so we do not burn out?
Burnout is real: four out of five undergraduate students report experiencing it during their time in higher education. 51 percent of college seniors say they experience it throughout their college career, especially as they take more specialized classes and see greater workloads. Spring break shouldn’t be another time for professors to pile on additional work.
During office hours, my roommate’s professor mentioned a take-home exam assigned over break and asked if she was going home. “Oh! If I had known you were going somewhere fun, I would have re-evaluated the exam,” the professor said. However, even if she is going home or on vacation, the break should be a restful opportunity, not a time to focus on schoolwork.
Breaks are critical, at every point of our college career, even the short ones in order to take a deep breath and walk away from our work. On these one-week breaks, we should be able to leave our work at American University and enjoy our time off. That break could be a staycation, holiday with friends or family, or simply going back home.
At the end of the day, students need to have the opportunity to set a healthy balance between work and life. Many students juggle jobs, internships, after-school activities, homework and more. Breaks like spring break provide critical time to reset.
Professors, too, need a break from grading assignments and discussion posts. Having their students do more work only compounds their stress.
Spring break should serve as a true respite for students — a time to recharge and step back from the demands of their academic responsibilities. The increasing trend of professors assigning additional work during this crucial downtime undermines the very purpose of the break, leaving students with little opportunity to relax and rejuvenate.
As we navigate the challenges of higher education, it is essential for both students and faculty to recognize the importance of mental health and well-being. By allowing genuine breaks without academic burdens, we foster a more balanced, productive learning environment that benefits everyone involved.
Ritika Shroff is a junior in the School of Public Affairs and a columnist for The Eagle.
This article was edited by Harry Walton, Addie DiPaolo and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Arin Burrell, Paige Caron and Nicole Kariuki. Fact-checking done by Andrew Kummeth.
