Imagine waking up to a world of happy, well rested teenagers who are eager about their education? Yet this is not reality; the reality of going to school is worn out, lazy and non eager students who don’t care about their education. The thing that humans need the most is sleep, and our country is severely lacking that with 57% of middle school students reporting their lack of sleep of only six hours of sleep a night. How should students be pushed to strive for success when they have extra curricular activities, tests and quizzes and no sleep on top of all of that? School should start later for students and staff because it improves sleep duration, elevates school performance, and helps overall well being.
A seventh grader at EIS Isabella Stepanov stated, “School should 100 percent start later because I would get more sleep.”
Not only do students benefit from the later school start time, the staff does too. There was a study in 2022 that proved that teachers who work at high schools that started earlier in the morning were found to be more efficient when their start time got pushed later in the day. Jada Cole, vice principal at EIS, stated, “Most of the staff have young children, and it will help them at home if the start time got pushed later in the day.”
Shouldn’t we give the educators that are so hardworking more time for sleep?
Furthermore, the reason students go to school is so they can get an education and one day get a job when they are older, yet if they are not getting a long enough sleep duration students grades and future can take a turn for the worse. According to the latest data provided by Research.com, 67% of students in America get accepted into universities and colleges. Taylor Goodman, a former sixth grader at EIS, exclaimed, “By having a later school start my grades would increase because it would make me less tired and my brain would be able to focus more.”
In addition, a typical household for a family is kids and adults running around to get their days started on time. The hectic pace of running around the house trying to find everybody’s belongings, while at the same time trying to get ready in a short time span, is very crazy. Yet, there could be a fix that would not only benefit the students but their parents as well. Melissa Wilson, the Student Assistant Counselor at EIS claimed, “When there is a delayed opening, and we start school later, I feel much more productive. I feel well rested, much easier to get up and I don’t have to rush getting ready.”
Students’ sleep duration is a must for students when it comes to becoming less stressed, energized and motivated. However, there are some downsides to a later school schedule. According to The U.S. Census Buereau, 10.9 million adults are co- parenting with a child living in two different homes. Therefore, when school calls for a change of schedule, this could make divorced parents’ lives more difficult.
Furthermore, sports for some are just a game you play in your free time, yet for others it is their whole life. Participation on sports teams is where the majority of kids feel comfortable and are really able to express themselves. Yet could just one night of sleep change that? Could it turn into a student’s worst nightmare or biggest regret? An eighth grader Laila Mehmedovic at EIS stated, “I find myself more engaged in sports on the weekends, since I have so many activities and little to no sleep during the school week.”
Fellow eighth grader Madison Greenwald at EIS stated, “ When I get to school I am always so tired and I have no energy ever left in me.”
Laila’s words might indicate that starting school later would improve students’ performance in sports. This is very important because when high school students are applying to colleges they need to prove in their resume that they are the best. So this will give some students the advantage that they very well deserve and need.
