By: Alice Le
Alexa woke up in the morning still tired. At school, she could not concentrate on what she was learning. She kept yawning when the teacher was talking. When she got home after school, she does not know how to do her homework. This is very common for other students whose school start early. There are many debates between school start times. It is clear that school start later may give some advantages for students. Later school start times is better than earlier school start times because of improved academic performance, improved physical health, and more sleep time.
Most importantly, starting schools later improves students academic performance. First of all, if students go to school early, they are still tired. This will reduce their concentration and increase distractibility. Students will not understand how to do their homework because they do not pay attention in class. However, if schools start later, students will pay more attention because they have enough sleep. They will understand everything and homework will be easy. To add on, in the article Pros and Cons of Later Schools Start Times, it states,” AASM also says that sleep-deprived people are more prone to errors.” This means students that sleep less will make more mistakes on homework and quizzes. Students are still sleepy so they their calculations are not accurate, but if students sleep more they will do better. Last, it states on Pros and Cons of Later School Start Times, “Investigators studied two school districts that changed their start times to 8:30 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. When compared with students attending schools with earlier start times, the students reported getting higher grades. “ This explains that when students are getting more sleep, it will affect their grades in a positive way. Students starting school late will do better and get higher grades on tests than students that go to school early. In conclusion, later school start times will have a positive effect on students success.
Next, later school start times will also help improve students physical health. To begin, sleep deprivation increases the risk for diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Later school start times mean students will get more sleep so they will be less likely to get any illnesses. They will be healthier than before. Second, in the article Pros and Cons of Later School Start Times, it states, “When teens get up very early for school and do not go to bed until late at night, they may eat more than they would if they got an adequate amount of sleep. “While students do homework, they might feel a bit hungry so they eat a lot. However, if schools start later, students could finish homework in the morning before going to school so they will not eat extra snacks. This will prevent students from being overweight. Lastly, when students are tired and sleepy, they eat more sugar and caffeine because they think it will boost up their energy. These two substances are not good for students if they eat too much of them. It will put them at a higher risk for more serious health problems. In conclusion, later school start times will improve eating habits and students are not at risk for being overweight.
Last but not least, schools starting later will give students more time to sleep. First, students will not have a risk for car accidents. They will not be sleepy so they will pay more attention to the road and traffic. If students are still sleepy they might get in a car accident because they go when the traffic light is red. In the article 7 Serious Dangers Sleep-Deprived Teens Face, it states, “According to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, only 31% of high school students reported getting at least 8 hours of sleep.“ Lots of students do not get enough sleep because of homework, social media, and part-time jobs. However, students might go to sleep late, but they will get up late as well if school started later. Students will get enough sleep for that day. Finally, from the article Sleep deprivation and teens: Walking zombies, it says” As parents we may applaud a high-schooler who has the dedication to stay up until 1:00 a.m. doing homework, but research shows that teens who dont get enough sleep perform less well during the school day. “ This means students might stay up late to finish a big project and get a good grade on it, but the next day it will be hard for them to grasp what is being taught in their classes. In conclusion, later school start times will provide an opportunity for students to have better rest for the next school day.
Let's take a look at Alexa again. She is still working on her homework every day and does not have enough energy for the next day. Students are tired in school due to lack of sleep. Would it be fair if students get bad grades just because they are tired? Additionally, if school start times do not change, students will not improve their academic performance and physical health. Until school start times change, this will continue to happen to poor, innocent students. So start the car, get to school, and fight for later school start times!
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