I've been a teacher for 12 years, and I keep wondering if homework actually helps students learn or just burns them out. My 9th graders come to class exhausted after spending hours on repetitive worksheets, yet the ones who skip homework often perform just as well on tests. Is there real evidence that homework improves academic outcomes, or are we just continuing a tradition without questioning it? I'd love to hear from other educators and parents who've seen the effects firsthand.