School Start Times: Waking Up to the Truth Imagine staying up until the wee hours of the morning to finish the homework that had been accumulated during the day, only to have to get up a few hours later to catch the school bus, knowing that succeeding in class the next day would be short of a miracle. For many students, this scenario is not only feared but a reality they must face. The American Academy of Pediatrics states, “About 90% of high-school-aged adolescents get insufficient sleep on school nights…”(“Early Start Times and Depression”). Because of the lack of sleep students face, it poses serious problems for them the next day inside and outside of the classroom. Countless schools across America start earlier than the recommended …show more content…
Since countless schools start early in the morning, it forces students to wait in almost pitch-black conditions for the school bus. After Sandra Himmel, school superintendent, pushed back her school’s start times, she saw drastic changes, “These include safety concerns. Having the youngest children in the district waiting for buses before the sun comes up is hardly an appealing situation...children 's safety concerns are uppermost in parents ' minds”(“Give Start Times a Chance). With the uncertainties of today, there should be no question as to why parents are afraid to leave their children out in the dark of the morning, waiting for the school bus. Since early school start times have already proven to cause depression and anxiety among students, it is common that because of it, suicidal thoughts can generate as well. In a study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, they found that “Adolescents that go to sleep at midnight or later are also more likely to suffer from depression and have suicidal thoughts”(Start Times are Unhealthy to Students). While suicidal thoughts can lead to serious long-term problems for a specific student, but for those around them as well. Likely the most effective reason why schools should push back their start times is that of the fact that they pose a problem to teenage drivers. Findings made by the American Academy of Sleep Societies say that “There are data that demonstrate that lack of sleep has negative consequences for teens," he said. "And some data show that younger drivers are more likely to have crashes when they have inadequate sleep”(Holohan). Not only are teens a danger to themselves on the road when sleep-deprived, but to others as well. To prevent anything from
Also according to the National Sleep Foundation, when you are sleep deprived, you are as impaired as driving with a blood alcohol level of .08%, which is illegal for drivers in many states. That is like having a bunch of drunk people walk around a classroom trying to figure out a new concept. Pushing back the start time of school would allow students to have an extra thirty minutes or even an hour of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation says being sleep deprived limits your ability to learn, listen,
Later School Start Times “‘I’ve gained an hour of sleep,’ she said. ‘I definitely feel a lot better. I find myself waking up around 7:30 without an alarm because it’s a natural time. It’s a great, great feeling.’” Says Lily Grey Rudges, a high school student in Seattle(At these schools, later start times get an A-plus for youths needing more sleep).
Last but no least, many students that drive in high school are likely to be out at night driving and if they are tired and sleep deprived, then they are more likely to crash their car from drifting off the road. It is hard for parents to hear about teens getting in accidents and all we hear about is the ones that parents can do something about and that is alcohol related accidents. But parents, you can do something about lack of sleep. You can vote and make teens start school later at Park City High School.
" Sleep is very critical and should definitely be taken seriously when making decisions about students and education. In my argument I will use this source to back me up on every reason of why school start times should be later. This article will help me in supporting the needs of sleep because of health and also because more sleep would promote better academics as a teenager. The article had a lot of credible sources to support the ethos appeal; it gave credit to all the doctors and also the students. The consistency of the argument of why school start times should be later is a very strong logos appeal.
Sleeping Schools Countless students all over the US struggle to keep their eyes open throughout the day because school classes start too early in the morning. If we were able to give an hour to students in the morning, we would see an increase in their physical mentality, their academic skill level, and an overall happier lifestyle. Many people will argue that starting school too late in the morning will cause after school activities -- such as sports and other clubs -- no time to meet before the night ends. But I must mention that we don’t need to push the start time that much later to see a huge improvement on student’s test scores, overall grades, and a student’s mood. The current school start time is unacceptable when thought about logically, and we must make the changes to have school start at a later time.
GY-13 Clarke can be a better place with later start times We all know this; waking up to a blaring alarm or an annoyed parent. You try to bury yourself in sheets and protect yourself from the harsh light. You drag yourself out of bed with hair blown to one side of your head.
In her article “Let Kids Sleep Later,” Terra Snyder argues that schools should push back start times to allow for more sleep for students. Snyder cites research that shows that adolescents need 8-10 hours of sleep per night, but many are not getting enough due to early school start times. She also provides examples of schools that have successfully pushed back start times and seen improvements in attendance, academic performance, and overall student health. While some may argue that early start times prepare students for the "real world," Snyder makes a compelling case for why the benefits of later start times outweigh the potential drawbacks.
Lastly, some students are suffering from the same symptoms as adults with sleeping disorders. School should begin later in the day because most students do not get a full night’s sleep, delaying school can reduce symptoms of depression, and some students are suffering from the same symptoms as adults with sleeping disorders. First of all, school should begin later in the day because most students do not get a full night’s sleep. The American Association of Sleep Medicine agrees. They stated quote, “ Middle school and high school should start no earlier than 8:30 am,” and, “...prevents students from getting a full night’s sleep, which will affect their work in school.”
So, they can improve the odds of adolescents getting sufficient sleep so they can thrive both physically and academically. I agree with this source, starting schools later could enhance student’s school performance academically and athletically. Starting school too early are preventing many teenagers from getting the sleep they need to start off their day. I aim to using this this source to support my claim as to why students need more sleep and how it would affect them throughout the school day. This will benefit my essay by forward explaining why school should start later in the morning and why doing this will be better for the students’
Later High school start time are linked to academic performance. According to Sifferlin,in When Sleep and School Don’t Mix, the school has seen so many improvements among student since it required them to be at school start later. The percentage of late students dropped around 3% from the 2011-2012 school year to to the 2013-2014 school year. The number of student falling classes dropped 2.2% and the absentee rate dropped 1.5%.This reveals that kids were arriving on time and the number of student falling classes decreased at least by 2 percent. The article also states “ Stating school later is the best interest of the student when there is a will there has got to be a way.
For all those students who go to school, do you wish you could go to school later? It’s known that if students wake up later, they will be more focused during the day, and they will also be more alert when driving behind the wheel. There is also a chance where students will be less likely to miss school. Teen depression will also go down if they wake up later in the day. “The issue is not the start time it’s that the students are overly busy.
Because of this, teenagers suffer with school, health, and overall functionality. For teenagers to get more sleep, school start times should be delayed to 8:30am because it improves educational performance, it decreases health risks common in adolescents, and it copes with teenagers ' natural sleep schedule. One important reason why school needs to start later is because more sleep improves educational performance. In fact, “Studies have shown that middle and high school students with adequate amounts of sleep, 8-10
In a survey conducted of eighth grade students, 100% of the students found that school starts too early in the morning. In an interview with twelve-year-old Luke Lesser, “My school starts at 7:50 A.M. and I don’t want to wake up. When I go to school, I’m very tired and my brain is not ready to function...at all!” Like Luke, many students across the country find themselves not ready to process information when they first get to school.
Admittedly, early start times do have some advantages such as more time for after-school jobs and activities. Starting school early also helps with transportation costs and fits better with parent schedules, but the loss of sleep takes a huge toll on a student’s health, safety, and learning. Why should we, as students, sacrifice our health because it’s easier for the school system? Is the easier option really worth the well-being and success of adolescents all over the country? As a high school student, I know what it’s like to get assigned homework from every class, along with having practice that night, and having to stay up until I can barely stay awake to get it all done.
I know that people can be very reckless on the road like texting and driving that not only teens do but you also but from source 2 it states that “Lack of sleep can also be a major factor in teenage crashes”. This means that kids need to worry more about school and if that child is too tired it could potentially kill someone in the process. Now people are getting too tired and need to get their sleep instead of going to their house in this quote it states that “In 2008, 2,739 15-20-year-old drivers were killed and an additional 228,000 were injured” (Source 1 line 13-14).