After hours of school spent tediously completing assignments, students long for a break when they return home. However, all hopes for a restful evening disappear as each student turns to face the stack of books that followed them home.

Doing piles of homework after a long day of school is a nightmarish task. Not surprisingly, tired students are masters at creating lame excuses for putting off that ever-growing homework load.

Homework is ignored as the body yearns for its nightly sleep. Eyelids droop and fingers slow, students give up the game and head for bed, ignoring homework and condemning grades.

This routine is common for students all over the nation. With new game sites being created constantly, students find the Internet more tempting and more time consuming.

“I love to play games online,” David Tusan, ’07, said. “But I try to monitor how much time I spend, so I do not waste time that I need for other things.”

Some students look at the Internet as a waste of a time, pointless, if used for the wrong purposes.

“I think it’s a waste of time to go online and play games,” Jessica Hannickel,’05, said. “The only time I sign on the Internet is to check my mail, chat with friends and to do homework.”

Other student’s enjoy spending time on the web, exploring new sites and games, not regretting any of the time spent on exploring the web.

“I spend a lot of time in the Internet,” Matthew Shattuck, ’07, said. “You never run out of things to do.”

Some students set personal restrictions before exploring the web so the Internet serves as a reward for accomplishing homework and other assignments.

“I will not get on the Internet unless my homework is done,” Kelly Maxey, ’04, said. “It may be fun, but I know that schoolwork is more important.”

All kinds of students spend time on the Internet; most agree that it is the best way to waste time and find enjoyment through games, polls and other activities.

With a wide range of things to do on the Internet, teachers are becoming more concerned about the time wasted by students on the web.

“Most people use the Internet and it turns into a temptation to be a waste of money, energy and money,” Tom McEntee, English teacher, said. “The Internet could be useful for communication, but turns into a problem when people come to rely on it alone.”

Although the Internet may be filled with fun and games, if used for the right purposes it can be a useful tool for assignments, essays and other kinds of research papers.

“The Internet can be useful to students because you can find out just about anything on it,” Corey Maxey, ’06, said. “There are some bad things on the Internet, but if you avoid them and just get on to work hard, then it is fine.”

The Internet serves as the world’s most accessible database, yet also can be a serious downfall to students who do not monitor their time spent online.

Students can find help with schoolwork online at www.thefeather.com under the Study Helps heading and information about time usage at www.ucc.vt.edu/stdyhlp.html.