Later Start Times in School Essay Example

Walking into first period tired and wishing I could have had even 1 more hour of sleep, trying to stay awake just until the bell rings. I put my head down for just a second. If this has happened to you as well, then you have suffered the downside of school: the earliness of it. For many people school starts so early that they can’t concentrate or function at all. Sure early school has its benefits such as more time for after school activities, but at what cost? Later start times have many benefits. If schools started later, children’s health could improve. Studies show that children need at least eight hours of sleep to properly function on any given day. Later start times would help all children be more attentive in class and participate more. School starting later would benefit everyone in the school including the teachers who would have more children listening to their lessons. 

Getting less sleep affects children’s learning. “If teens aren’t getting enough sleep, it’s going to impact every aspect of their life,” says Dr. Lisa Meltzer, a sleep psychologist,” (Pierce 29). It is harder for people to concentrate with little sleep. Concentration is important in school. Without it, you are able to retain knowledge. An experiment done at a public school in Colorado proved that school starting later improved the participation rates of the school. With more sleep, children participate more. If schools started later, then fewer children would be tardy. When children are consistently tardy, they miss a lot of the lessons and learning. With more sleep, children will benefit by being more alert. This will result in fewer mistakes on tests and quizzes (Pierce 29). School is designed to help children learn everything they will need for the future, but if school starting early is hindering our ability to learn, is school really able to teach us everything? With later start times, children would be able to learn while still getting enough sleep to pay attention in class.  

Early start times in school are harmful to children's health. Emi, a high school student, thinks, “It's ironic that, while the purpose of school is to help students build a successful future, early start times work against that purpose by forcing students to forgo an adequate amount of sleep, thus compromising their health,” (Should school start later? NP). Schools help all children make a future for themselves, but early start times impede on their ability to get a reasonable amount of sleep to have good health. Doctors encourage children to get more sleep because they suspect there is a connection between mental illness and insufficient amounts of sleep. If mental illness and the absence of sleep are connected, then many children in school could be at higher risk for mental illnesses (Should school start later? NP). Not having enough sleep causes immune systems to be weaker. If immune systems are weak, then children have higher risks of getting viral or infectious diseases. Getting small amounts of sleep also hinders children's ability to make good decisions. Making bad decisions could affect not just the present but the future (Pierce 29). Children’s health is very important and should not be something taken lightly. If schools starting later could improve the health of kids, then school administrators should consider later start times.

In conclusion, schools starting later would improve the education and health of children. Not only could later start times enhance participation in class, it could also help prevent mental illnesses. Having an intelligent and healthy next generation is important for the future. There are some schools that have initiated later start times and have seen benefits; and, hopefully, other schools will realize that later start times are better for everyone.