At the young age of 5, children across the United States are admitted into elementary school. They learn how to associate with their peers, learn new subjects, and learn how to get into a routine. From age 5 to 18, they spend 5 days a week at school. They wake up bright and early and come home in the late afternoon. Although school can be a crucial part of people’s lives, is it necessary for the school day to be so long?
Elementary school hours are usually from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Middle school hours are usually from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. High school hours are usually from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Children spend around 7 hours in school each day. That adds up to about 35 hours of school per week. Even though they are learning and communicating with others, spending that much time in school can be draining.
Most children must wake up early in the day to be ready for school on time. Bus riders have to wake up even earlier so they can catch their bus in the morning. For teenagers especially, sleep is critical for their physical and mental well-being. Teenagers can become very sleep-deprived due to staying up late to complete schoolwork and also just waking up early in general. Physical health can also be affected because long school hours can lead to a decrease in physical activity. These impacts on physical and mental health can cause anxiety, mood swings, and depression, and can also increase the risk of diabetes and obesity.
Shorter school days give kids the opportunity to spend more quality time with their families. Students have limited time with their families when they get home from school. They spend the majority of their day preparing to go to school, actually going to school, and doing the homework that comes with school. This can cause increased stress and conflict between families. Children want to have more time away from school so they can enjoy their childhood years with their loved ones.
One of the main reasons for academic burnout is the duration of the school day. Waking up and feeling exhausted and fatigued can cause students to fall behind academically. Dealing with sleep problems and the intense pressure of getting assignments turned in and also getting good grades can cause students to feel burnt out. Students gradually lose motivation to do assignments and study for upcoming tests. They also become irritable and extremely stressed. If the school day was shorter, they would have time to catch up on sleep and it would result in a better mood overall.
Making the school day shorter would also give teachers more time to plan and prepare lessons. Longer school days can cause a lot of pressure on teachers because they may not have enough time to create lesson plans and enjoyable activities for the students. Shorter school days help teachers create a more positive school environment, have more time to grade/prepare schoolwork, and spend time with their own families.
Even though longer school days can seem better for more educational time, they prevent students from having a good balance between school and their personal lives. Shortening the school day will significantly change productivity, mood, physical and mental health, etc.
As we move forward in time and advance, shorter school days should be a topic that is taken into consideration.
