All over the country, students wake up early in the morning until mid afternoon consumed in schoolwork. Is it healthy for students’ to wake up at 7 or earlier to spend six hours at school? The answer is no.

From personal experience, staying up late to do homework and getting up at six in the morning is exhausting. Not only is it hard to get up in the morning, but you must get to school before the bell rings or you will get a tardy slip, which is a detention. As the school year drags on, it gets harder to get up in the morning when teachers are constantly putting loads of homework that must get done no matter what time it is. Doing homework until 1 a.m. and waking up at 6 can lead to grumpy moods and a lethargic body. For the students that live close to school, they have more time for an extra few minutes of sleep. However, for the students that live far from their schools, they must get up early to leave their house early to get to school on time.

A poll from the National Sleep Foundation shows that 80 percent of voters agree that high schools should start no earlier than 8 a.m. while only 17 percent of voters said that high schools should start before 8 a.m. The poll also showed that from pushing the start time back, teachers noticed that students attendance improved and their daytime alertness increased.

From studies and from personal experiences, we can conclude that starting schools later at around 8:30 – 9 a.m. would benefit the students learning and mental attitudes. The day would shift to match the regular hours of each period which would end later due to the start time. Not only does this benefit students, but teachers will be able to educate at an effective level with a full classroom.

by MISSIE CARACUT