As a father as well as a superintendent, I have long been concerned about students who were burdened by extraordinary demands on their time - from schools, from their parents or from their own expectations of themselves - demands so extraordinary that they are in danger of burning out in some fashion. These students (and perhaps their parents) need help in making choices about what they can handle reasonably and in mediating some of the stresses on their lives. At some point too many activities and too many courses - no matter how valuable - become simply more than a student can sustain at a performance level commensurate with his/her abilities. Something suffers, perhaps several things, and "more" ends up being "less."

Herricks and many other communities on Long Island and around New York have disproportionately large numbers of students who push themselves hard and, therefore, disproportionately large numbers who push themselves, or are pushed by others, too hard. Generalizing from these students to all students, however, is no more valid than generalizing from the other end of the spectrum - students who drop out barely able to read or write - to all students.

Several recent books on overstressed students and homework loads have prompted considerable discussion on television and in various newspapers (Newsday, September 17). As is often the case, sensational headlines have attracted more attention than thoughtful examination of critical issues. The quality of homework is an important issue. If we are going to ask students to take their studies seriously, it is important that we be as thoughtful as possible in the assignments we give them. High quality homework can be of significant benefit to students. They recognize its value, appreciate what it can do to further their skills and knowledge and put their best efforts into it.

The level of stress on certain students is also a significant issue. Since the sources of excessive stress differ from one student to another, a variety of initiatives will probably be necessary.

At the same time, however, we need to address students who are spending far too little time on their studies. The books which have received a great deal of attention talk about stress and homework on a national level so it is appropriate to consider them in the context of national, rather than Herricks or Long Island, data. While there is a percentage of students in the United States who are overscheduled, overburdened and overstressed, two thirds of college freshmen indicate that they studied for an hour or less every night while in high school. By comparison, the average American child, ages 2 to 17, spends 19 hours 40 minutes watching TV each week and the odds that an American child will be required to do his/her homework before watching TV are 1 in 12. Clearly these statistics apply to many fewer students on Long Island than to students nationally, but we should be as concerned about the ramifications of this situation as we should be about overburdened students.