The Importance Of Starting Time For High School Students

546 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Benefits of starting school earlier

Why is it necessary for students to wake up so early from school? Why must students wake up earlier, then a usual 9-5 work shift? After all, how many students enjoy waking up from 6:30 to 7:00 in the morning just to make it to their first block? The starting time for school being so early, can stump a student’s readiness for that day. A typical teenager’s mind is not prepared to wake up, and turn on their minds that early. With the starting time for school, it affects the student’s performance and attitude. If the starting time for school was pushed back, the student, in my opinion, would gain the same amount of knowledge, and gain more rest.
Sleep scientists have been pushing for a delay in school time for the last decade. As a child progresses into their adolescent years, their minds tend to want to stay up. However, staying up causes the teenager to lose sleep in order to wake up early enough, the next day. The early starting time is the problem for most high school students. The easiest approach, and solution would be to delay school time. Dr. June Pilcher stated, “Even a delay of an hour, would have a more positive effect on the readiness for the student. …show more content…

“Sleep deprivation is a growing public health issue affecting our nation’s adolescents, putting them at risk for metal, physical, and emotional distress and disorders” (Kobler, Par. 2). Sleep is essential for proper body development. Studies have shown that loss of sleep can lead to metabolic disorders, as well as improper growth function. Between the ages of 14 and 17, teenagers should achieve 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep to have excellent health and learning. “While implementing a delayed school start time can be emotional and potentially stressful issue for school districts, families, and members of the community, the health benefits for adolescents far outweigh any potential negative consequences,” said Dr.

Show More
Related

  • Why Schools Should Start Later Essay

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    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. Also students will be up later finishing homework and socializing on their phones with friends. Although schools will now have been adjusted to fit with students sleep cycles, that does not mean that the students will actually

    Read More

  • Enhancing Student Well-being: The Case for Later School Start Times

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Allowing students to sleep more by starting school later would benefit them in a multitude of ways and keep them from feeling enervated. According to the online article, A Wake-Up Call on High-School Starting Times, “...troubled kids often get caught up in a distress cycle in which too little sleep causes them to experience anxiety and inner turmoil, which, in turn, cause them to lose more sleep. In the worst

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay: Should Schools Have Later Start Times?

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the National Sleep Foundation, biological sleep patterns change throughout the stages of adolescence. ¨Biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence-meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00pm.¨ (¨Teens and Sleep¨). Messing with these sleep cycles in the long run and lead to sleep disorders. Research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests teenagers 13-18 years old should regularly sleep 8-10 hours each night for a healthy sleep. The teens who do not get a good amount of sleep are more likely to suffer from mental conditions, smoking, illicit drugs, and alcohol use. ¨Not getting enough sleep is common among high school students and is associated with several health risks including being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using drugs, as well as poor academic performance.¨ (¨Schools Start Too Early¨). On an NBC news story, Hilton Head Island High School moved its start time and benefits were noticeable. Students had higher test score averages and grades improved throughout the school.A study done in 2008 published in the journal of clinical sleep, found car accident rates fell by 16.5% when students were more aware on the road, not having to wake up before 7 am.

    Read More

  • 3 Reasons Why School Should Start Later?

    314 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sleep Deprivation in America's Students

    1491 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lack of sleep of teens is not caused by choice. Many teens do not choose to stay up late at night because they are out or having fun. The body has circadian rhythms. “These rhythms are generated internally and develop without any social or environmental cues. Adolescents experience a natural circadian phase delay and, therefore, tend to stay up later and sleep in later than in preadolescents” (Final Report Summary, 2001). The opening and closing schedules of schools are not based on these rhythms but are based on the business world and what is best for it. “School schedules should be adapted to the unique needs of different sub-populations of pupils. The administrator must not bear the sole responsibility for planning class schedules” (...

    Read More

  • Reevaluating School Starting Times for Enhanced Learning

    1331 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On School Start Later

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    Starting school later also has a lot of health and academical benefits. Even if the school day starts 30 minutes later, It has proven to show great benefits for teenagers. In the pass Up For Debate: Should School Start Later It says “As a result, students were showing up to school alert and ready to learn and are focused and engaged in lessons.” Some people believe that starting earlier is better because a later start results in a later end to the day. But changing it to a later time will still give kids enough time to sleep and get their work

    Read More

  • School Should Begin Later in the Day

    395 Words  | 1 Pages

    Studies have suggested that the average adolescent brain doesn’t even start to fully function until around 9:30 am. Many schools already use the suggested later arrival time, so students can be ready to learn when they arrive at school. Another thing that everyone knows or remembers about high school, school is all. of the homework that needs to be done for tomorrow. Plus projects that are due.

    Read More

  • Sleep Deprivation In Early Schools

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Sleep Deprivation

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    It’s seven thirty in the morning, the time that most American high schools begin class. Instead of being chipper and ready to learn, most teenagers, at this time of the morning, can barely remain awake. These puffy eyed pupils are by no means ready to learn. Sixty percent children under 18 reported being sleepy during the day, with another fifteen percent reporting that they had fallen asleep during the school day within the past year (National Sleep Foundation, Dozing). Though adolescents require a larger amount of sleep than younger children, they usually receive much less (Indiana University Center for Adolescent Studies). The amount of sleep a teenager receives affects him or her both physically and mentally. Sleep deprived teenagers are more likely to be irritable, be depressed, not perform up to their capabilities in school, and have a decreased ability to handle complex tasks (National Parent Information Network). Though teenage sleep deprivation is a big problem, some simple solutions such as rescheduling the school day to fit teenagers’ biological needs, setting consistent sleep schedules, and teaching children the importance of proper sleep habits can easily remedy this problem.

    Read More

  • Should Schools Start Later?

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some people say that school times should not start later in the morning because there would be less time to complete other activities that they enjoy doing. One source says, “Starting school later means dismissing school later, which leaves fewer daylight hours for after-school activities” (O’Neill 21). This indicates that some believe that starting school later would be an unbeneficial sacrifice to take, just because they do not want to miss out on their favored extra-curricular activities. Another incorrect reason why people are convinced that schools should not begin later is because school districts would have to pay for more bus drivers, and they do not want to have to pay for these unnecessary expenses. O’Neill writes, “Later start times would mean some districts’ might have to invest in additional buses and drivers, which can be expensive” (O’Neill 21). This demonstrates that many school districts would rather keep the same start times for school than have to pay more for bus drivers. One final reason why people falsely believe that schools should not start later in the morning is because it helps teens learn life skills that they can put into use later in their existence. An excerpt from an article reads, “Being on time, managing a busy schedule, and getting enough sleep are important skills teens will need when they enter the workforce” (O’Neill 21). This quote reassures the fact that some people believe that learning important life skills is more relevant than getting enough sleep, even though a lack of sleep can cause teens to get unnecessary illnesses. Despite the fact that some people say that keeping school start times early in the morning is more advantageous than pushing the start times later, they are erroneous for numerous

    Read More

  • High School Start Times

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sleep is vital to a human’s well-being, it is just as important as the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat. It can even help to manage the stress of being a teenager. Middle schoolers and high schoolers especially have very unnatural sleeping schedules because of the early start times and school and the amount of homework they are given (“Teens and Sleep”). Even though some teachers believe it will have no academic impact, high schools should start at a later time because scientists have proven it can lead to more participation, better grades and improved mental and physical health. With the stress and overwhelming priorities and obligations of being a teenager, sleep is vital to their well being.

    Read More

  • Essay On Later School Start Times

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pediatrician Judith Owens told the American Academy of Pediatricians in 2014 that "Adolescents who get enough sleep have a reduced risk of being overweight or suffering depression.”. Clinical psychologist John Cline did a study that found in the 1990’s, a school district in Kentucky delayed their start times by an hour. The school reported a decrease in teen crashes, while the rest of the state reported a higher number. Delayed start times keep teens safer on the road and improve sleep, which improves both mental and physical health. This shows that improved sleep improves both mental and physical health.

    Read More

  • School Start Later Essay

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    It can be easy to think that you want a later start so you can sleep in more, but that is not the case. As we know, there are many kids who tend to stay up because they are busy doing homework and after-school activities. Some people think that if we change the school times to later, it can really affect a kid’s day. If they decide to change the school start times, there will be more stress on the parents, games and practices will be pushed back, the students will have to stay up later to do homework, and the cost of changing school times can be very expensive. To begin, parents might find it disagreeable if schools abruptly decide to change their start times.

    Read More

  • Essay On Why Kids Should Start Later In School

    2061 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about The Importance Of Starting Time For High School Students

Open Document