Later School Start Days

                                                Later school start days

DeAndra Brand

COMM/215

9/1/2014

University of Phoenix

Later school start days

Can you say not a morning person? That sum up many kids awaked by the boisterous alarm clocks with the annoying repetitive sounds hitting the walls of their homes 6 am in the morning. The entire family is annoyed. School starts right after 7 am and it is time to rise and shine, except the shine is only the sun. So many families wake up still tired from lack of sleep. It’s very simple to understand why they want to smash the snooze button over and over just to get more time to sleep. The summer has spoiled them once again but with school starting many parents wonder if the early morning start is for the bird to get the worm. Pediatricians beg to differ. The early alarms causes children not to receive the proper amount of sleep which can cause health issues including depression and obesity. To fight against these health problems we all should understand why it is important to push school times back. We all should understand why everyone deserves one more hour of rest.

Some may argue that parents should put their children to bed at an earlier time, but it only so much time in the day. If schools adjusted the school start time for families it will give the extra time in the morning for that last hour of sleep. Most parents work 9-5 and usually get home around after 6 pm. After cooking, cleaning, hygiene and homework they then notice that stars and moon have captured our lives and it’s off to bed again. Because families have limited time after work and school this is also unfair for family time. Some may still attempt to disagree but we all can relate to the snooze button and how good it feels to get the extra rest. The extra rest takes off unnecessary stress that children and families should not have to deal with. Once your day starts off on the bad foot it takes time to get back on track, this can cause issues with the child’s day.

The later school time will have a positive effect on family’s everyday life also. Studies show that kids that go to school after 8am have better academics, more attentive and less attendance issues (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014). It also can give parents time to create a healthy breakfast for the children before heading off to school versus the quick pop tart or cereal routine that have them back hungry and unfocused after homeroom. The time change for school will give families the energy needed for the day without the drag. This can decreases stress. The parents feel less rushed and they tend to forget important instructions to give to other family members and for themselves. Waking up more relaxed with the extra sleep can cut down on this memory problems. Studies show a decline in memory due to sleep deprivation (DOI: 10.1097/WCO.0b013e3283052cf7) We all know everyone have everyday stress like work, children and finances, but if something can cut a few issues by providing more sleep in the morning everyone should agree.