No, I’m not suicidal. I just absolutely dread waking up so early for school! I know I am able to speak on the behalf of many of my classmates.
How has this late start been treating you guys? I’ve been waking up at 6:00 am every single day for as long as I can remember. Honestly, in elementary school I couldn’t care less about how much sleep I was able to get. All I cared about was getting to the swings first and seeing my friends. However, as I continue to advance in life, I realize how quantity AND quality of sleep really can affect one.
When I heard during sophomore year that a later start time might become a thing, I shooed it away from my thoughts, not wanting to be overpromised. Little did I know, senior year is when this myth would come to life. Overhyped as ever, I wondered at what time school would start? Like clockwork, school used to start at 8:05 without a beat. School now starts at 8:30 on regular days. THE DISAPPOINTMENT I FELT CANNOT BE DESCRIBED IN WORDS.
I mean, what were administrators thinking? “Oh yes, a 25 minute push start from the norm. The students will kiss the very ground we step on every time we are seen.” Now, I’m sure the administration had their reasons! I can’t blame the administrators for administrator-ing.
I cannot be more serious, I wake up now at 6:15 am. I cannot tell you how much more refreshed I feel in the mornings. (Ms. Peña can elaborate on that upon request.)
I believe that school start time should be pushed back even more, perhaps by 15 more minutes (multiplied by 7).
It is understood that there is the complication families face of dropping their child to school on time as most work 9-5 jobs. There may not always be someone available to drop students off. But this is the exact reason that school and public transportation exists. Students that live more than a two mile radius to school have the option to use the district-wide school bus transportation. Many students can also choose to walk or drive.
Countless studies have shown that early school start times are associated with students getting less sleep, which negatively affects students as a whole, in addition to education.
Many students in this area work demanding jobs, often right afterschool to sometimes 10 pm. Now, putting yourself in their shoes, when will they have time to do homework? Let us suppose it takes roughly two hours. Boom! It’s already 12 am. As you finally fall asleep, the tragic alarm clock goes off at 6 am. Need I remind you, the recommended amount of sleep for teenagers is eight-ten hours per every 24 hours.
Many students drive to school. I know this as I have a hard time finding parking every morning. Given the prior example of a working student receiving only six hours of sleep, one is bound to feel sleepy. Sleepiness at the wheel reduces alertness and reaction time, resulting in impaired ability to pay attention and make decisions. Sleepy teens also have a higher risk of being involved in a drowsy driving accident. Hm, I wonder why insurance rates are through the roof for us.
Aside from all this ‘silly’ stuff though, I am literally killing myself with the amount of sleep I am able to receive. According to multiple Johns Hopkins Medicine studies, sleep is important for teens because it is how our bodies repair themselves! Sleeping can help us prevent infections, rebuild our muscles and even help our brains work better so that we can focus, prevent mood problems and help our bodies function better. This can have dramatic effects on a teenager’s life, impacting their mental and physical wellbeing, increasing their risk of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
“We’re not giving them a chance to dream.” states Rafael Pelayo, MD, a Stanford clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Why are we, as teens, not even allotted the time to dream anymore?
Study after study, it is proven that students exhibit higher academic performance with better quality of sleep as compared to those who receive poor sleep quality. Decreased attention, impaired memory, slower processing, worsened critical and analytical thinking, reduced creativity, high amounts of tardiness. Why are we even expected to make full scores on tests and assignments? What is thought to be bound to happen?
We need quality sleep. School start times should be pushed back.
