Is school stressful? Is the workload time consuming and difficult to complete? As a middle school student I know that assignments can cause me to breakdown and just want to give up. Many school districts are bringing up the idea of allowing schools to start after 8:00 am because it will allow you and your parents to get more sleep, but this new rule may hurt you even more. I believe schools should continue to start early in the morning instead of starting later.
One way that schools starting later may hurt you is that it takes away time from spending with free-time and extracurricular activities. According to “Pros and Cons of Later School Start Times“ by Leigh Ann Morgan, she says, ”If school districts change their start times, these activities will be pushed to later in the day. This would make it difficult for students to participate and still have enough time to study, complete homework assignments, participate in social activities and still get to bed at a reasonable hour.” Another example is from “7 Serious Dangers Sleep-Deprived Teens Face” by Amy Morin, Teens Expert, Amy says ,“They may have less energy to participate in leisure activities and they may experience mood swings and irritability that interfere with their relationships.”
Another way schools starting later may hurt you is that it can cause you to go to sleep later, which defeats the purpose of allowing you to get more sleep. According to “7 Serious Dangers Sleep-Deprived Teens Face” By Amy Morin, Teens Expert, Amy says, “According to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, only 31% of high school students reported getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Late evening sporting events, long hours of homework, and part-time jobs can interfere with a good night’s sleep.” Amy also says, “Puberty tends to program teens to stay up later. Changes in hormones mean that many of them aren’t ready to go to sleep until at least 11 p.m. As a result, many of them aren’t able to squeeze in enough sleep before the alarm goes off for school each morning.”
One other way schools starting later may hurt you is that it messes up morning schedules. According to “Pros and Cons of Later School Start Times“ by Leigh Ann Morgan, she says, “When school starts at 7:30 in the morning, most parents can see their teens off to school before going to work at 8:30 or 9:00. If school districts change start times to 8:00 or 8:30, parents will not be able to drive their kids to school and still get to work on time. This is a problem especially for parents of young children…”
This is why I believe school should keep their pre-Covid schedules and not allow schools to start later than they already have. Schools starting later will only cause a ripple effect starting from lack of family time, sleep, and more stress early in the morning. As I said earlier, I know what it feels like when all the assignments start pilling in and crushing me, so all I ask is for you to bring this up with your parents and friends. Of course once you’re done with your homework.
