The big question that has been around is, “Should school start later or end earlier?” Students are tired and sleepy from school, and staff are tired and sleepy from work. We asked teachers and students for their opinion on this topic.
8th-grade student, Ryan Tello, states that school should start later. “The students can get more sleep and have energy to do things.”
But not every student would choose school to start later. Nia Patel, an 8th-grade student, wants the school days to end earlier.
“As soon as I get home, I have a lot of work to do. So as soon as I get home earlier, I can finish my homework earlier so I can have more time to myself, ” Nia stated.
8th-grade math teacher Ms. Jennifer Schwartz agrees that school should end earlier.
”I already wake up early in the morning, and I need time to go to appointments [after school], Schwartz said.
Another 8th-grade teacher suggested that school should start later. Mr. Dale Andrews stated that starting later is “good for the sleep cycle.”
Mr. David Vizian, 8th-grade science teacher, said neither. He believes that schools should instead give teachers and students a four-day weekend, and have school days start earlier and end later.
“It would be better for the kids to spend time with family,” Vizian said.
While some even say both! Mr.Glassman, an Iselin Middle School substitute teacher, thinks that school should end earlier and start later.
Mr.Glassman stated, “I do like my sleep in the morning, although I would like to get out at 2:30 p.m.”
According to scientific research, psychologists and others have indicated that later school times correlate with more sleep, better academic performance, and numerous mental and physical health benefits. Adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 should sleep 8 to 10 hours per day, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. But few are logging those hours.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the school day ending earlier could also give the kids more sleep. About 60% of middle school students complain that they don’t get enough sleep, and about 70% of high school students say the same. Many people also believe that family time, mental health, and time for hobbies/extracurricular activities could improve with shorter school days.
