Do High School Students Need a Later Start?by Lyn Newton | More from this Blogger 29 Oct 2007 12:33 PM As a teacher, I have always been told to do the "meat" of my teaching in the morning hours. I have been told that the morning is when students are fresh and do their best thinking. An article that I recently read seems to differ in opinion when it comes to high school students. In fact, it says that high school students should not be pushed academically in the morning hours because they are still groggy and sleepy. Some high schools are even deciding to begin classes later in the day. A high school in Toronto has determined that it will best suit its students if classes begin no earlier than 11:30. US high schools in over 19 states also begin high school classes later in the morning. Research has shown that the chemical found in teenagers that creates sleepiness is released later during the night and stops later in the morning. Teenagers need 8 1/2 hours of sleep at night. Many teens do not receive this much. They actually receive about an hour or more less than recommended. Most teenagers are involved in many activities. Some have part time jobs. Others skip sleep for their social life. One study showed that students feel sleepier between the hours of 8 and 10 in the morning. The sleepiness can cause lower grades, tardiness, and less involvement in school. Studies have also found that drop-outs and absentees go down and grades go up when students are allowed to begin school later. The teenagers also admit to taking more time to eat breakfast when they do not have to be at school until later in the morning. They feel healthier and more alert. If the late start high school goes into effective, this will be the first time that school is delayed strictly due to the sleep and developing minds of the students. In many cases, the students are later starting due to transportation needs. Getting Involved with Your Teens School Learn more about Lyn Newton  Lyn is a kindergarten teacher and mommy to a girl and a boy. In her spare time, she enjoys informative and creative writing. Relevanteducation tags User Comments Andilei (70) 19 Nov 2008 08:00 PMThis is interesting. In high school, there were some days when the seniors were allowed to come in later. When it was my turn, I did feel more refreshed and ready to start the day. But I'm not sure if it was because I maybe got more sleep or the fact that I had missed two of my classes. My high school was on the block schedule so we only attended four classes a day. I was able to work my schedule to where I had my academic classes in the morning and electives or PE classes were in the afternoon. This made me feel more relaxed just because I had gotten the tough part of the day out of the way. So, I'm not sure that if I was still in high school that I would want school to start later. I would just want to get it over with....the quicker the better! Samual (11722) 21 Nov 2008 11:04 AMHere school doesn't start until 9am, everyone including the teachers tend to be half asleep until after the 10am break. Discuss this article
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