Should School Start Later Essay

In “High Schools Starting Later to Help Sleepy Teens” by Michelle Trudeau and “High Schools Will Keep Starting Too Early.Here’s why.” by Dan Weissman they both have their own perspectives on life about school starting times and the problems they may bring to the students of high schools.In Michelle Trudeau’s story she says that the starting times for high schools has many students still very drowsy and tired most of the time having them nod off during school instruction.She states that in an average high school 20% of students fall asleep in class on a typical day.Therefore, in need to prevent this from happening teens need more sleep as opposed to them not getting enough sleep from either staying up late or period as some experts say.There are many ways to add additional support for teens and their sleep.

Staying up until 1am to finish math homework and studying for that huge history test next class is pretty routine for some teens. Juggling school, sports, a social life, and other extracurriculars is tough, and teens are already in a critical period in their life. It is the time period in which teens grow and learn the most, and sets them up for a bright future. Staying healthy both mentally and physically is imperative, and sleep is probably the most important. Schools starting as early as 7am limits a teen’s potential. If schools were to start later, the benefits would be endless. Schools starting later improves both physical and mental health of students, keeps the individual and those around them safer, and improves students performance in school and sports.

Do you ever wake up and feel like you haven’t gotten enough sleep? The reason is because in reality you probably haven’t. Studies show that schools should not start any earlier that 8:30 in the morning due to teens suffering from sleep deprivation. There are many negative effects this condition can have on a teens body including a direct effect on one’s physical and mental health, public safety and excelling in the future. In the Ted Talk video, " Why school should start later for teens" by, Wendy Troxel.  Ms. Troxel explained why school should start later for teens.. Students are very drowsy in the morning and are usually rushing to get to school on time which limits breakfasts times and healthy food options. Schools should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.  for several reasons  but sleep deprivation is  the most important. Sleep deprivation can cause a direct effect to a child’s general health and behavior, public safety and potentially future success.

If we were to start school later, academic GPA’s (grade point averages) would definately increase. Isn’t this what we want in our school? It is proven that the more sleep you get, the more awake and alert you actually are. I interviewed Michael Claffey, a sophomore at Newington High School, he stated “ Goooooud.” Also Jorge Premto a sophomore at Newington High School stated “Yes Michael, yes I do believe school should start at nine o’clock am. This will thus help further my education because I will be well rested.” In all, we need school to start later because it will help us with our education.

That is a proven fact. Athletes need more sleep to excel in sports. They can’t do that if they are half asleep. If Patrick Kane only got 3 hours of sleep before a game, he definitely wouldn’t perform as well, and he would probably fall asleep on the ice. He also would have a good chance of getting injured. Athletes who don’t get enough sleep have a way higher chance of getting injured than those who get the recommended sleep time. So therefore having middle school start time be as early as they are hurts

If we start school later then kids test scores will increase, they wont fall asleep in class and they would get the appropriate amount of sleep. According to upfrontmagazine.com, nNew research suggests that later high school starts have widespread benefits. Sleep experts at the university of Mminnesota studied eight high schools before and after the moved to later start times. They found that the later start time, the better off students were on measures like mental health, car crash rates, attendance, and in some schools, grades and standerized test scores. This is an accurate example because it comes from sleep experts at the university of minnesota that have actually studied this topic. With later starting time you’ll have more time to sleep and will be able to pay attention in class so you can get that good grade.

Going to bed at 2:00 in the morning and waking up at 6:30 AM to go to school is a nightmare for anyone. Unfortunately, this situation is far too common in today’s schools. But have you ever wondered how insufficient sleep affects your everyday life? Schools must start later. With early start times thwarting students’ health and safety, adolescents needing more sleep in general, and teens having trouble sleeping early, later start times are essential.

Later start times will have a better increase on student’s learning throughout the day. “Despite the lack of data, there is a growing concern that children, and especially adolescents, are not getting enough sleep they require to be at their best in school, or work, or in the community” (Wahlstrom 46). This is a good reason for why times need to be pushed back so students can have an easier day to learn being more awake to learn. Teenagers need about 9 to 9 ½ hours of sleep each night. With school starting at 7:45 o’clock each morning, along with the amount of homework

Secondly, school starting at a later time is beneficial academically. Most teens don’t get enough sleep which causes them to feel sleep deprived and stressed for school. Teens usually get six to seven hours of sleep but Dr. Cora Breuner says, “ We truly believe that our teenagers are getting six to seven hours of sleep a night, and they need eight to 10 (Shute).” This causes teens exhausted for the school and not mentally or physically prepared for each class in school. However, teens who get more sleep do better academically, with better standardized scores and a better quality living style (Shute). For example through one studies, showing the delay by an hour in start time, increases standardized test scores by roughly 3 percentile points (Edwards). So academically it is beneficial for the kids in school.

“Chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is one of the most common – and easily fixable – public health issues in the U.S. today.” quoted from the AAP. School districts all over the country have battled with sleepy teenagers: starting school times later will help the tiresome teens. Doing so will overall improve academic performance, symptoms from stress and depression, and engagement in unhealthy risk behaviors.

Early rise times of school has a negative effect on student’s performances. Schools need to start later to give students, especially teenage students more time to sleep. From hormones to more responsibilities, teenagers need eight hours of sleep for a healthy life style and to be able to function during the day. By schools starting later it allows students to function better in school, which improves grades, behavior, and work

The national sleep epidemic that has taken the world by storm is also taking a toll in not only teen’s health but also their performance in school as well as personal safety. The sleep deprivation that teens are experiencing everyday has caused many health problems as well as academic problems. I believe starting school later will hinder this ever growing teen sleep deprivation problem we face today. Letting teens sleep later is beneficial to their learning capacity as their heightened alertness improved their classroom performance as well as better memory and many other crucial achievements. So probably starting school later, but no later than eight thirty am, will lead students to perform better in school and their health will improve drastically.

It is often said that the early bird gets the worm, but that is not the case for school start times. Many schools across the country have adolescents wake up in the wee hours of the morning to get ready and go to school. Evidence from complete studies suggests that teenagers are seriously sleep deprived. Waking up so early is not always beneficial, although some people do believe that it is efficient. School start times should be later because it improves adolescents’ health and academic performance, and it can increase the safety of the community.

Most teens today aren't getting the required 8-10 hours of sleep because of schools starting the day before 8 a.m. Teens brains don’t wake up until 8 a.m. which is becoming detrimental to them learning new material. Their brains won’t remember most of what the teachers are teaching them because they’re not awake. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Teens average fewer than 7 hours per school night by the end of high school, and most report feeling tired during the day.” If the school start times were to be later, teens would be getting a better night’s rest and the required amount of sleep for them to function throughout the school day.

There are many pros and cons to changing the start time of schools. For example, pushing the school start time to a later hour, would supposedly increase the amount of sleep teenagers get at night. It is also said to increase participation, attendance, and grades. However, by changing the start times of school, it would create an inconvenience to parents and staff, it would force the school to remain open longer for sports practices, and create higher expenses overall. The reason teenagers are tired in the morning is due partly to their late sleep times. It has been scientifically proven that a teenagers internal body clock is set to begin getting drowsy around 11pm at night, which would not allow for the recommended nine and a quarter hours of sleep a night. Some scientist argue that pushing back the start of school would not help students get more sleep, but instead would only allow them to stay up even later, or would limit the amount of sleep even more due to the amount of homework that is given to them throughout their high school careers.