An Early Start to Education
By Kadijah Olanipekun & Aanchal Patel
In the typical American school, students spend an average of 7 hours sitting in their classes from early morning to mid-afternoon. The main goal is to get students engaged in their learning, in a manner that helps them retain information from all different subject areas. However, there has been controversy that starting school at such an early time actually decreases productivity in the classroom, due to students not being fully alert at that time of day. So, should schools push back their start times or keep them the way it is currently?
Well, the most common defense for schools to start later is because it can create a more beneficial and suitable learning experience that motivates the student to come to school. For example, an article written by the American Psychological Association said that “Teens are notorious night owls – generally, they go to bed late in the evening and, when given the opportunity, wake up late in the morning.” This provides a valid statement that proves that as teens get older, they are more likely to have a later school schedule, which causes them to feel more fatigue when they wake up in the morning (especially since the average amount of sleep required for a teenager is 7 hours). An interview with high school junior, Stephanie Ayodele, was conducted, where she said “Obviously, you know kids are not going to be as productive or alive waking up so early.”
Another article written on this topic is by the CDC, which states, “Adolescents who do not get enough sleep are more likely to, Be overweight, Not engage in daily physical activity, Suffer from symptoms of depression, Engage in unhealthy risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking tobacco, and using illicit drugs, Perform poorly in school.” This tells us that lack of sleep, especially for those under 18, can pose harmful health effects in the short- and long-term. So pushing back the start times of schools, teens can find a way to create a healthy balance between a good sleep schedule, and their daily lives. The school itself will also be benefitted…as attendance rates will go up and will also have more active participation in classes. Overall, sleep is very important for the students and that would only be possible with a later schedule given students time to be prepared and ready for school with motivation.
However there are some people who believe schools should keep their original starting times. According to (15 Reasons Why School Should Start Earlier (Top Benefits!) “Starting earlier has benefits for kids of all ages and serves the additional purpose of saving the school district a good amount of money.” This expands on the benefits to the school, not the actual students, as schools can cut down on some costs (such as the money that goes towards transportation). Another example is (What Is the Advantage of Having School Start Early?), where they said that “Students who begin earlier have more time for after-school jobs and activities; schools may benefit by saving some money; and parents’ might find that an early start works better with their schedules.” We got a similar response from another student here at Hillcrest, where she states “If we go in earlier, then we get out earlier.”
In summary, there are definitely pros and cons to the idea of schools starting as early as they do…but at the end of the day, it is up to the learning styles that fit each student.