Should school hours be shifted to later in the day?

Later start-to-school hours promote academic success. Many studies show that later start-ups are associated with better grades, higher test scores, and improved focus and self-regulation in middle and high school students. Improved self-regulation can also lead to less disruption in the classroom.

Early school start times can affect students’ mental abilities and mood. The first few hours of school can also contribute to diabetes and obesity in students in several ways.

When teens get up very early to school and only go to bed late at night, they can eat more than they would if they got enough sleep. The benefits of starting school later are that it gives students the opportunity to get enough sleep, reduces caffeine addiction, reduces health risks, and improves academic performance.

Some studies suggest that if students start school around 10:00 a.m., it may improve their concentration and make them less sleepy in class. Unfortunately, school authorities and parents are not very interested in the late return to school hours because this poses a problem of bus schedules and the organization of extracurricular activities as well as certain sports activities.

It also disrupts parents’ schedules and affects the time available for after school tutoring. The advantages of an early start to school are that it can reduce transportation costs; students spend less time on the bus; it works best for the parents’ schedule and leaves more time in the afternoon for activities.

There are students who start early and start school early will work fine for them. Others have argued that starting school sooner rather than later also helps students focus. Unfortunately, the available research seems to support late start to school more than early start. Experts report that sleep deprivation due to early departure times leads to anxiety, irritability, lack of motivation, and other symptoms of depression.

There is also a great deal of medical evidence on the harms of starting school too early, such as preventing students from developing other aspects of their lives, the risk of obesity, depression, drug use and bad health. notes. Experts recommend that classes start at 9 a.m. for high school and college students and 8:30 a.m. for elementary school students.

Elementary students don’t have a problem getting up early but as they get older it becomes more difficult to get up and the days are filled with activities that tire them out.

BY Joshua Sachiel – Sarpong

Joshua is a 6th grade student at North Hills International School