Future president,

Every morning I get up at 4:30am, I do my 30 minutes of physical activity (for home gym) and I carry on with my routine. I arrive at school around 7:15 and i begin my classes. Occasionally seeing a classmate drowse off during class, only to be rudely awoken and embarrassed for something they most likely can’t help. After school I go to work, until between 9:45-10:00. When i finally get home for the night I get cleaned up, eat and ready to go to sleep, by this time it’s around 11:00. Then, i finally start my homework and i get to sleep around 1am, only getting around 3-3.5 hours of sleep per night, just to repeat the process the next day. And i’m not the only one experiencing this problem.

Learning is one of the most important things, we as a species can do. Without education we wouldn’t have some of the things we rely on today, for example, cell phones, appliances and transportation. Being able to go to school everyday is a privilege, but there are negative effects when it comes to how early students must go to school each day.

Adolescents go to school 5 days a week, 8 hours a day which comes to a total of 40 hours of class a week. 75% of schools start classes before 8:30, but teens between the age of 16-18’s internal clocks are in “sleep mode” until 8. The CDC recommends 8-9.5 hours of sleep per night for this age group, but a majority of students are only getting 7 hours or less. Many factors contribute to the less than satisfying amount of sleep teens get each night. For example, sports. Many students participate in sports that have 3 hours or less of practice everyday, not including tournaments and games or competitions. Many other extra curricular activities take even longer than that and even take up weekends. Also, a majority of students have a job and work everyday after school.

School should start at a later time, there are many benefits that could come from changing the time. A study done in Minnesota, by the University of Minnesota’s center for Applied Research and educational improvement resulted in a boost in attendance, test scores, grades in math, english, science, and social studies. Also, schools saw less tardiness, less drug use, and a decrease in depression. Many educators even saw an increase in interest and willingness to learn and cooperate.

Not getting enough sleep can limit your ability to learn, listen concentrate and solve problems. You may even begin to forget names, numbers, homework or even dates from past events. If you don’t get enough sleep you can be more prone to breakouts and weight gain. It can also lead to aggressive behavior. Lastly it can heighten the use of nicotine, caffeine, and narcotics.

In conclusion, i think if students were able to start school at a later time it would benefit not only their health, but also their grades and future.