I strongly believe that school should start later in the morning. There are many benefits for students and teachers if school started at a more practical time. With better sleep, students could maximize what they learn.

High school starts way too early in the morning and with most of us teens staying up until late night this impacts our education in a very negative way. We need more sleep; it’s beneficial to our health, safety and academic performance. When students are sleep deprived they tend to lose focus during class. Not only do they lose focus, but its common (especially in my school) for students to take naps during class. As you can guess, taking a nap in class is very common and it sadly impacts the students’ grades severely.

Moving on, studies show that when we students start school later on in the morning our attendance, test scores, our understanding of all subjects improve greatly. Furthermore, it is a known fact that when teenagers do not get sufficient sleep it becomes easier for them to become depressed. Therefore, more sleep equals less depression and overall stress. And with most teens struggling with depression, more sleep will be like a miracle to them. So, with school starting later we not only get more sleep, but we will feel more refreshed and ready for the challenges of the day.

So what’s in the way of changing the academic clock?  Parents who jump to harsh conclusions when asked about changing the schedule. Parents believe that if the clock is changed it will impact their own personal schedules. They also worry about the younger children getting out of school too late and walking alone in the dark and sport practices which can take up some time as well. While I understand these concerns are reasonable, however I still believe the school board should do something about the academic clock. Considering our education, attendance and health is on the line here I believe they should prioritize the issue and look for a solution.

School is the biggest obstacle in our lives as of right now, so I do not understand why we cannot make it a more memorable experience by making a simple change to the schedule. We will be more energized, thus causing us to want to do better! Teachers will also appreciate us more when we don’t fall asleep in their class due to sleep deprivation. The benefits overall outweigh the cons.