An early school start time for teens causes more than just an attitude problem; waking up too early causes mental illnesses, obesity, hazardousness, tardiness, absence, and declining grades. The argument between early and late school start times is only important because teens need more sleep, more sleep is the answer. Teenagers across the U.S. are affected by high school start times daily, often being too tired or aggravated to show up and participate in classroom activities. Many people would like to think it's our fault that we don't go to sleep early enough and finish our homework late, but it is much more than what it looks like. Teens have complicated body clocks, much more different than adults or children, but it is not respected. Dr. Denise Pope said, “The teenage body …show more content…
Less chance of depression, anxiety, stress, substance abuse, absence, tardiness, and now bad grades. When you have an early start time, teens have more time in the evening so they make more plans. They might play a sport and have a practice or game, so they have it all planned out: go to practice, go home and do homework, hang out with friends, participate in clubs or community service, etc. Then it becomes too much. They become too involved and activities begin to pile up, therefore academics are their last priority. Grades begin to decline and they are stressed beyond the unthinkable trying to fit everything into their schedule, but it is not possible. Studies done by Finley Edwards show a huge difference in academic improvements and standardized testing between early and late school start times. In Wake county, North Carolina, they changed the start time to 8:30 instead of 7:30 and percentile scores in math went up two points, while scores in reading went up by one percentile point. Then he did three different start times, the latest one being at 9:15 and percentile points went up by about three. (Edwards, 2,
cases, this cycle can lead to depression and even suicide.” Therefore, it is crucial that schools prioritize the well-being of their students and adjust their schedules accordingly. The article titled "Despite Research on Teens' Sleep, Change to School Start Times Difficult" states that some argue against later school start times, claiming that "students will have less time later in the day to spend with their families if school starts later" (Blad). While this may seem like a valid concern, it is not always the case.
This leaves students with less than the recommended 9 hours of sleep. Students that have to stay up that late for homework will be tired in the morning, even if their school starts later. Many people argue that starting schools later will let students get more sleep and align with the students sleep cycles. But they do not factor in that students will just stay up later at night because they know that they do not have to get up as early in the morning. This will just leave students with less sleep than before.
Later School Start Times Everyone has always hated getting up super early to go to school. As children get older they move to different schools, from elementary to middle to high school, and the start times get earlier. In elementary school it was never a problem getting up but getting older, it always got harder to get up and the days were always longer. Schools start so early in the morning that it is hard to focus and students tend to miss more of their earlier classes and attend all of their later classes. Schools everywhere should start later because it would benefit the students and teachers.
One drawback to later start times is the fact that school would end later. Since schools that start later still have the same number of hours in a day, they would in turn end later in the afternoon. This can cause problems for after school activities, and also homework after school. Some students families depend on the money earned from working after school jobs. If the school they were attending got out later, they would have less time after school to work these jobs, so they would be unable to make the money they need to support their families (“Eight Major Obstacles to Delaying School Start Times”). In addition, any after school clubs or activities would end later after school, causing those involved to stay up later at
Kids and teen everywhere are rushed, stressed, and not doing as well in school because they aren't getting the right amount of sleep. About 40% of american high schools start classes before 8:00 am and more than 20% of middle schools start at 7:45 am or earlier. School start times should be later because teens need sleep and it improves their overall academic grades.
Researchers have proven that teenager’s brains don’t start working until ten in the morning, also that an average teenager is supposed to get eight to nine hours of sleep each night. These are a few reasons that school starting times are negatively affecting students learning abilities at school. I believe that schools should have later starting times. An average teenager is supposed to get eight to nine hours of sleep each night, however in reality most teens only get about seven hours. A lack of sleep is causing students to do worse on homework and tests. Our school starts at seven twenty-five, if it started two hours later, then students would be getting the exact amount of sleep that they need each night. A study shows that the brain doesn’t
Among adolescents and teenagers lack of sleep has become an epidemic. Teenagers believe that sleep is expendable when, in reality, it is extremely important for teens to receive sufficient sleep. Alexandra Robbins argues in her book, The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, that teenagers are willing to sacrifice sleep for success and that this way of thinking is harmful to adolescent development. It is because of this way of thinking and the negative effect it has, that the start time of high schools should be pushed back. Through evidence provided by Robbins and an outside source, it can be asserted that the start time of high schools should be pushed back.
“Sleep deprivation is epidemic among adolescents, with potentially serious impacts on mental and physical health, safety, and learning. Most teenagers undergo a biological shift to a later sleep-wake up cycle, which can make early school start times particularly challenging.” says Boergers.
Later school start times are scientifically proven to help teens in many beneficial ways. Teenagers and adolescents have sleep patterns. According to the article,¨ Teens and Sleep¨ Teens bodies naturally
First of all, some teens simply don’t get enough sleep. People argue they should just go to sleep earlier, but it’s not that easy. Teens and children have a tendency to go to sleep late and wake up late. They have a life to live outside of school should open at at least ten o’clock.
Teens are wired to be night owls and are still required to sleep at least a whole 9 hours to be able to function properly. Studies show that a school with later arrival times is 16.5% less likely to have a car crash than a school with earlier start times. Sleep is very important in order to reduce teen car crashes. If students don’t graduate from high school then who will teach them how go through life. Later school leads to higher graduation rates.
“BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!” The teenage student slams on the snooze button and struggles to get out of bed for the early school day. Teens on average need 9 ¼ hours of sleep (Backgrounder: Later School Start Times). Teens currently average fewer than 7 hours of sleep (Backgrounder: Later School Start Times). Hectic schedules, poor sleep habits, homework, and family obligations are the problem (Backgrounder: Later School Start Times). Schools are considering starting their school days later in the morning. For example, one Minneapolis school considered pushing back their start time from 7:15 to 8:30. Another Seattle school considers pushing back the school day start reported Jean Enersen. Would this benefit the students or harm the students? Is this for the better or for the worse? These are questions many superintendents and school board members are asking themselves. They all want to do what is best for their students, so the topic takes a lot of thinking, planning, and conversations. School starting later can be a very controversial issue.
This is the perfect equilibrium between too early and too late. A start time at 8:30 allows for a hypothetical extra hour of sleep for a student but also ensures that the school day will not drag on too long in the afternoon. This shift in start time will have a resounding impact on students’ performance in school as well as their personal well-being. A recent study conducted with the cooperation of eight schools affirms this proclamation concluding, “In a recent study of eight U.S. high schools that delayed their start times, researchers found improvements in kids ' grades, attendance and car crash rates”. (Norton). If Brookwood is truly committed to the tradition of excellence they claim, then this statistic alone should be enough persuasion to make the change. Students who get adequate sleep are in turn healthier, more enthusiastic learners which any high school should strive to have. Another reason that shifting the initial start time of Brookwood High School would be beneficial centers around the concept that there are particular hours in the day that students are proven to be
Many people are resistant to change, especially if it involves reassembling their plans and procedures to adjust to the new schedule. This is a problem for parents’ work schedules since they most likely will not be able to see their kids in the morning which will leave students unsupervised when they get ready. This is also a problem for transportation since parents will not be able to take their kids to school which might cause traffic and more costs since bus schedules would change too. According to the Sleep Foundation, "If elementary students have the earliest start times, they may be waiting for the bus in the dark early mornings, or waiting at home alone after school." Later start times are thought to solve tardies and absences, but if students cannot get to school, it does not solve anything. A change in the school schedule will result in disorder in many people’s daily routines perhaps having to discard certain activities to fully adjust to the new schedule. The changes caused by a new schedule affects students
The alarm goes off at six am and the typical high school student is barely able to open their eyes. It is time to get up and prepare for a full day at school, about eight hours. Most teenagers, according to the National Sleep Foundation, will only get about six hours of sleep since they tend to stay up until midnight (“Should schools start later in the day?”). After getting ready, many students look forward to a nap in their first hour class despite the information they will miss. Teenagers seem to always have had trouble getting up in the morning, even earning the title of lazy from their parents. However, recent research on adolescent sleep patterns has produced a biological explanation for this tendency. This raises a serious question: why are high schools starting early in the morning when teenagers are biologically programmed to sleep in? For most cases, school start time has not been conformed to fit student physiological needs simply because of transportation issues.