Why Schools Should Start Later Meredith Grey is a senior in high school and stayed up all night studying for finals, she closes her eyes for just a second and her alarm went off to get ready for school. She hopped into her old beat up car and drove until she was down the street from her high school when she got into a horrible car crash. 58% of teenagers car accident fatalities were drivers. According to a study done in 2008 in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (car) crash rates fell by 16.5% in the two years after a school district shifted its start times an hour later, compared to the two years before (Time Magazine). Well, other studies have also shown, waking up early causes students to have lower grades and do not perform as well as students who get the appropriate amount of sleep for adolescents. This is unacceptable because students are given large amounts of homework, on top of …show more content…
She was an A+ student, going to ace finals when she got into a horrible car crash crossing an intersection around the corner from her school. So close, yet so far. According to the Telegraph in an article called, “Teenagers should start school later to avoid car crashes, suicide, and depression,” it states that, “73 percent of deaths from unintentional injury in teenagers,” are caused by teens who have insufficient sleep, both are also associated with, “an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents” (Knapton). This is important because it proves that there’s such a big number of deaths caused by lack of sleep, and involving motor vehicles, all a result of school starting too early. If this story hit you hard, this situation is not a one time deal, it has happened plenty of times all over the world. This is all a result of not enough sleep. If schools were to start later, the percentage of deaths would decrease majorly, because students would be more aware of what is going on on the
The article starts off with a claim on how high school students aren’t getting enough sleep, and she points out some specific negatives of starting school early
Later School Start Times “‘I’ve gained an hour of sleep,’ she said. ‘I definitely feel a lot better. I find myself waking up around 7:30 without an alarm because it’s a natural time. It’s a great, great feeling.’” Says Lily Grey Rudges, a high school student in Seattle(At these schools, later start times get an A-plus for youths needing more sleep).
you killed three children, and your neighbor and yourself in crucial conditions. So, if school started later the chances of sleep deprived car accidents would decrease. And now we will be presenting to you real life occurrences from sleep deprived students. As of right now, 100,000 car accidents from sleep deprivation occur every year according to the SleepFoundation.org
School should Start Later School districts should make a change to their schedule. School starting later would fix a bunch of huge problems about school districts. Some people may say that school starting early isn’t that bad though, it would just be annoying to wake up early. School districts should change their time because of the bus arrival times, the education of students, and sleep concerns of kids.
Some students may even stay up later because they know they have some time to sleep in in the mornings which would make it so they won’t get the amount of sleep they need. Some people think that starting school later could have a negative affect and think that it is not a healthy choice to make. They think that starting school later will have a negative effect on their sleeping schedules because they will stay up later because they get to sleep in and
To begin with teenagers usually need 8.5 hours of sleep a day. Not enough sleep for students has gone to far. 22,000 kids all across the USA are stressed and tired for school. School should start later because starting school early is not just a student complaint, it's an observation backed up by science. Studies have shown the brain doesn't properly function until two hours after students leave there rooms in the morning.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine asserts that early school days lead to accidents along the roads, depression among the young teenagers, and upsurge in poor performance academically for middle and high school students. Teens struggle through the challenge of waking up very early in the morning so that they can be at school at the right time. Research implies that teens should get at least eight to nine hours of night sleep for their good health. Various sponsors such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control have the strong advice on why schools should start later. Nevertheless, by being able to sleep more before school starts, students will be able to become well rested, more attentive in classroom settings, and perform better as learners.
Many people argue whether school start times should stay the same or become later in the day. Most students already don't get enough sleep during the night and that can affect their learning experience in school (Wahlstrom). However some positive effects can still come from waking up early in the morning and getting to school around the same time. Although good can come from waking up early in the morning and sleeping in, students still need later school starting times to improve their overall health.
If students have lack of sleep, they may not pay attention to the roads and the drivers on the roads, which increases the risk of traffic accidents, (according to www.npr.org). The increased risk of traffic accidents may also be because of how dark it is outside when students have to walk over to the bus stop. It’s so early when kids’ buses come, that it’s usually dark outside, and drivers may not see kids walking. The final reason why middle and high school start times should be later is for the protection of student health.
When teenagers are driving while tired this puts everyone in danger. If school were to start later there would be less tired teens driving. Also when school starts later kids are at home by themselves for a shorter period of time, because they get out of school closer to when their parents are done with work. This is a good thing because this leaves less time for things to go wrong after school. I just stated a few reasons why school should start later, but there are so many more.
Teens were are very relaxed and concentrative when they have had enough sleep which is also very good for their bodies because the brain cells stay alive rather than die because of the lack of sleep that teens are getting. “24 hours without sleep for teens leaves you as an impaired as if you were legally drunk. It also causes brain cells to die” (Hudson). If teens pull an all nighter which is very frequent because they never finish homework at an early hour, it causes their brain cells to die and their bodies to act as if they were drunk. Lastly, school starting later would be robust for teens, and it can save them from all nighters (when their cells start to
21% of teen motor vehicle accidents are caused by drowsy driving. Many teens everyday are complaining about their school start times being way too early. Teen tiredness is now considered to be a public health pandemic. School starting at a later time is beneficial because it helps students catch up on sleep. It helps students stay out of trouble.
One other reason why school should start later is because it is more convenient. In the first place it’s better for one’s health. In order for your body to grow and develop you have to get enough sleep. If you do not get enough sleep it will lower the immune system and increase one’s chances of getting ill.
In a study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, they found that “Adolescents that go to sleep at midnight or later are also more likely to suffer from depression and have suicidal thoughts”(Start Times are Unhealthy to Students). While suicidal thoughts can lead to serious long-term problems for a specific student, but for those around them as well. Likely the most effective reason why schools should push back their start times is that of the fact that they pose a problem to teenage drivers. Findings made by the American Academy of Sleep Societies say that “There are data that demonstrate that lack of sleep has negative consequences for teens," he said. "And some data show that younger drivers are more likely to have crashes when they have inadequate sleep”(Holohan).
What can happen when a student wakes up for an early school day? The student may not have had a very good night’s sleep and could feel drowsy. When they get to school, they might have an unorthodox mood and be falling behind on school assignments, which would cause much stress for them. Now, what if the school day had started at a later time? The student could have gotten more sleep, been in a better mood, been more focused in school, and been less stressed with their work..