Later School Start Times Essay Example
School starting later in the day is a hotly debated topic because some people believe that school days shouldn’t start later because it gets kids productive throughout the day. However, others argue that school days should start later because it prevents sleep deprivation, and they show more concentration in school. I argue that school days starting earlier can have a bad impact on kids and can show their lack of concentration throughout the day.
One reason the school day should start later is because of sleep deprivation. According to an article by Leigh Ann Morgan “sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on academic performance by reducing concentration.” This shows that not having enough sleep and waking up early is one of the reasons why students have a lack of concentration during school and this can lead to more concerning matters in the future. This is also significant because waking up early for school causes sleep deprivation which can lead to some of the more serious problems associated with chronic sleep deprivation are high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure or stroke. Other potential problems include obesity, depression, drug and alcohol usage Etc.“Teens on average need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep at night, but most don’t get the amount of sleep they need. School, and homework have higher priorities for a teen than sleep” (Fairview). Therefore, not getting enough sleep (sleep deprivation) can lead to serious problems for a teen’s health and well-being. Interactions between sleep and the immune system have been well documented. Sleep deprivation increases the levels of many inflammatory mediators (swelling,burning,heat etc.) and infections in turn affect the amount and patterns of sleep.Sleep deprivation may decrease the ability to resist infection. An article by healthline states that “If sleep deprivation continues long enough, you could start having hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there). A lack of sleep can also trigger mania in people who have bipolar mood disorder. Other psychological risks include impulsive behavior, anxiety, depression, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts”(Watson and Cherney). This is significant because, the lack of sleep when waking up early can harm children and even adults. When waking up early for school and/ or work everyday you take the risks of triggering one of these things such as depression or anxiety.You may also end up experiencing microsleep during the day. During these episodes, you’ll fall asleep for a few to several seconds without realizing it.
Another reason the school day should start later is because many teachers, principles, and parents across the country have tried encouraging a change in the 7-7:30 am start time in place in most schools. “The “ZZZ’s to A’s” Act was put in place to push schools to change the start time to something more reasonable. This would mean sometime closer to 9:30. “60% of children under 18 have complained of being tired at school and 15% of said they have fallen asleep in class” (Sleep Foundation). This is significant because it is proven in studies from pediatricians and sleep specialists all over the country and even the world that adolescents are not getting enough sleep to complete the tasks expected of them successfully. “Asking teens to wake up so early and automatically turn their brains on and be alert enough to intake material is not good for their health”(Shute). This shows if you are given a complicated math problem is it easier to do it 30 minutes after you wake or 3 hours after? School students are stuck with the final decision and have no say in the situation. Some students' first period classes can be difficult.
Aside from the common, every-day effects of sleep deprivation, there are also benefits for school starting earlier in the day. “School starting earlier in the day means the end of the day is also earlier which can also contribute to more time in the afternoon for activities” (Regoli). Therefore if school starts later in the day it also ends later in the day. Which takes away time from students to play extracurricular activities. Most adults have heard a lot of benefits about a later school day. Although some adults' concern is that most kids are very active with extra-curriculars and feel like if they punch the school day back so students are getting out even later its going to push everything back. Another reason why some people support school days starting earlier is because it may be better for the schedules of some parents. “If younger grades in the K-12 spectrum have earlier start times, then there are some specific advantages that parents may experience with this shift” (Regoli). This is important because it could eliminate the need to pay for morning childcare as they get ready for work because a drop-off at the school could happen instead. Being able to share resources throughout a district can help to save money.
On that note kids should be able to sleep in. Some people say that “the early bird gets the worm” but in this case I believe that the well rested worm gets better grades and higher test scores. Teens aren’t living well encouraged and healthy lives by staying up to complete homework assigned to them and then being asked to turn around, wake up at an unethical time of the day and come to school. The risks of sleep deprivation are very high, It causes cranky students and all the teacher’s favorites … sleepy students. There is a simple way of preventing those risks. All you have to do is allow students to start their school day later.
