Yair Gritzman Week 4 - Why does school start at 7:45?
Week 4 - Why does school start at 7:45?
I think that Donna Klein should start school later in the morning, around at 8:30, to allow for us to get more sleep and function better during the day. According to sleep experts, teenagers are recommended to get between 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. However, it is difficult for us to achieve since teenagers naturally fall asleep later due to temporary changes in circadian rhythm. Therefore, when adults or teachers feel tired at night, students are likely wide awake.
While it is possible for students to adjust their biological clocks back by falling asleep and waking up at the same time, it is better for the school to just start later in the morning because it allows students to function according to their natural rhythms. After all, why does Donna Klein start at 7:45am? Do we start at 7:45am because that is what we have always done?
I believe that there are a few reasons for school starting so early in the morning. First of all, starting earlier allows for more class time, which can result in more learning. However, I believe this thinking is flawed because when students are sleep deprived, they end up learning less information and have decreased recall. Therefore, it might be better to shorten class time and have students come to school refreshed so they can learn the material better. Another reason is carpooling. The lower school starts at 7:45am, and parents need to get to work for their 9 to 5 jobs. By starting early enough, parents are able to get to work on time. This is a fair problem, but it doesn’t mean that students should be sleep deprived because of this logistics issue. Anyways, how much of an issue would it be if parents got to work 30 minutes later, and just left the office a little later in the day?
Some people believe that starting later in the day would force us to end later. While this could be true, the situation could also be avoided. Our school could cut down on the 1 hour lunch break, as well as our 40 minute free period. I’m assuming that many people would be willing to sacrifice 15 minutes of lunch and 15 minutes of their free period to gain 30 minutes of sleep. Also, imagine how much more productive every school day would be if we actually came to school refreshed and ready to learn more information.
When do you think school should start? Why do you think Donna Klein starts at 7:45am? Do you think Donna Klein will ever change its start time?
Hi Yair! I agree with you completely. Although I don't believe the school would ever change the start time, I think it would be more than beneficial for both faculty and students. Allowing us to start even 30 minutes later, makes a big difference. Last year, starting at 8:20 allowed to to feel much more refreshed than I do now. It might be complicated to revise the schedule, but I think it would be best for everyone. Maybe you should come up with a plan and send it to the school administration with a petition!
ReplyDeleteI AGREEE!!!!
ReplyDeleteyou are student president and if you push hard enough maybe we can actually get later starts.
Hey Yair, I agree with you 100%!!! Teachers, facility, and administration are always complaining and asking us how we can be so tired and exhausted all the time at school, but then expect us to show up with a huge smile on our face at 7:45 AM!!! It's very simple: if schools gave students more sleeping time - AKA a later start time for school - that would almost certainly boost morale and student life throughout the entire school. A healthy sleeping schedule is one of the most important parts of having a successful, organized life in high school, and such an early start prevents us from having that. I think that we should start at around 9 AM, but unfortunately I don't think DKJA will ever change their schedule rules.
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