<p>Absolutely hate it. 7:30 AM start time, ugh. way to early</p>
<p>School starts at 7:35 and usually ends at 2:41 or 2:56 (although my school is currently testing a block schedule; block days end at 3:05).</p>
<p>I ride the bus to school, which leaves at 6:10am. (Buses for areas farther away may leave as early as 5:50.) I wake up at 5:30 and leave at 5:50 to make the bus. I also ride the bus home from school. It leaves around 3:40pm and makes it to the bus stop at 4:30.</p>
<p>It’s a really early time to wake up, but since I’ve gone to this school since kindergarten and have ridden the bus since freshman year, I’ve become used to it.</p>
<p>Three pages of responses already…whew! Hot topic.</p>
<p>I definitely agree that kids who need 7 periods (instead of 6) should be taking that period as 7th period (after school) as opposed to Zero period (before starting at 7am). Schools need to make that change IMO.</p>
<p>Teenagers need their morning REMs.</p>
<p>My HS starta at 8:00 am and ends at 3:30 pm. We have 8 45-minute periods daily, along with a morning “break” (10 minutes while announcements are read) and a lunch period when clubs can gather. School starts way too early, multiple people get up at 5 because of hour-long rides to school. Weather gets nasty in the winter, so we have to leave even earlier, and roads are prone to heavy traffic. It would make our lives much easier to start at 9 am. We need that extra hour of morning rest, plus some traffic would subside in the morning, making the commute much less stress-free.</p>
<p>I start at 7:25 am and finish at 2:25 pm. I would personally support a later starting time. Due to my schedule, I usually go to bed at around 2 am and rise at 6 am.</p>
<p>During the final two years of H.S., the classes began at 6:15 and ended at around 1:15 with a half-an-hour break somewhere in between. Luckily in my case, the school was just 30 minutes away from home. So, to get to school on time, I would have to be awake by 4:30, 4 if I wanted to have my breakfast properly. It was always a challenge trying to stay awake for the first 2-3 periods and after the second period itself, everyone used to start longing for it to be lunch period/break already, which came right after the fourth period at around 9:30. But honestly, I preferred this schedule over a later starting time, as this time-table allowed us the opportunity to pursue other activities outside the school.</p>
<p>Since our two kids began HS, there have been lots of changes. Two schools merged into one, and the first year we had staggered times, and DS opted for the early start 7:35 - and stayed for late dismissal so he could take more classes. 7:35 sounded obscene at first. This year, all start at 7:20 - and the IB kids must take TOK during lunch and then have bi-weekly 2 hour after school sessions. DS also plays two varsity sports, busy with ECs, etc. National Honor Society, various other events meet at 6:30 AM. Even with Donuts, that is a drag. </p>
<p>In short, I am amazed at how well they adapt. It’s certainly hardest during sports seasons. Sleeping very late one day of the weekend is usually enough.</p>
<p>Ha, you got it lucky, try 7.40-4.40 days for a solid 2 years. I’d die for dismissals at the hours just after lunch.</p>
<p>My school goes 7:40-2:55. Our sister school, with which I’m in a joint program, is 8:00-3:15. So my day is 8-2:55, which is very nice. =) The only problem is that morning practices for sports START at 6:15. Honestly, I get so little sleep in the spring, it’s hell. </p>
<p>But I do love getting home so early…after all, 3:30 is Jeopardy time!</p>
<p>Our school goes from 7:15 - 2:30 a change from last year’s start time that was 7:55. The change was to accomodate three tier bussing with the high school starting first (for sports reasons and being at home for younger siblings after school). </p>
<p>This is too early and has had a negative effect on a lot of students. They are not getting breakfast in the mornings, falling asleep in afternoon classes, not awake for early classes, at risk when driving in the morning because they are so tired. </p>
<p>My son is in a sport and I would have to say that from that angle it was good in that he hardly missed any classes for his sport. </p>
<p>Teenagers just don’t go to bed naturally at 8:30. The school newspaper did a story on the school start time and there were pictures of all kinds of students asleep on their desks.</p>
<p>My D attended a high school that started at 7:30 and her bus came at 7:10. I HATE how early high school starts. Kids’ “body clocks” are different, melatonin production, etc…you can SEE it in how hard it is for kids to get up so early - no matter HOW much sleep they got/how early they went to bed. Plus which, we ALL need more sleep than we get, and THEY need even more. Some kids manage it better, mine is NOT one of those kids. I’d heard long ago “creative people have a hard time going to bed and a hard time getting up”. Well…add TEENAGERS to that description.</p>
<p>So…my D moved to another school, but had to commute for the winter semester before we moved in the winter. Long story and lots of things happened but her GPA plummeted beyond repair that semester. She’s back to a 3.9 now and still never got it back to the grade/rank of which she’s capable. She got up at 5:45am to leave the house at 6:10am that semester. She had multiple after school (required, co-curricular) activities. It was pitch black when she left the house, pitch black when she returned. Cold, snow. She was a walking ZOMBIE and got her first and only C+ of her high school career. But all her grades dropped. </p>
<p>She just said the other day “school should start at…9am and go until 5pm”. We all know that can’t work these days BECAUSE of the after school activities, but…we surely would all live a less stressful life. If we did the “siesta” lifestyle, or just didn’t try to pack so much into every day. But…it’s a rat race and many of us want to do more to get ahead. Each wanting to outdo the other. I’m not in favor of sitting back on our laurels…we want our football team to win and high SATs and to get into good colleges and win awards, etc. But…at some point we do have to say “Stop the world I want to get off!”.</p>
<p>When I was in the hospital delivery my baby, the nurse mentioned to me how much they were expected to accomplish in the allowable 24 hours stay of a normal delivery patient. She said they spent days with a panel of nurses, working up a perfect schedule. They gave all the information they had to give, took the tests of mother and baby, instructed on everything, etc. They had it all on a pretty board with a color coded table. They were so proud of themselves. Then some bright nurse finally held up her hand and said “Um…when do they sleep?” They’d figured in 24 hours of “things”, and 1-2 shift changes of nurse so THEY didn’t have to calculate in sleep, but the patient had none scheduled. It’s a crazy time we live in. </p>
<p>To be successful, the mantra must now be…“Jack of all trades AND master of ALL”</p>
<p>It seems I remember reading a post on CC a while back where a student was talking about her varsity tennis class. The school day was long (8-6 or something) but sports and clubs were given class-time. </p>
<p>WAY back when I was in high school, I had a friend who moved to a large district in another state and that high school ran more like a college. Classes ran 8-8 and it was an open campus with flexible schedules. I’m not sure how ECs were handled though.</p>
<p>I spent a significant portion of my life trying to get our school system to change start times. Didn’t work, largely because of busing, but the research overwhelmingly supports later starts for teens. Two districts that have research published on the success of their start time changes are Edina, MN and Wilton, CT. Check out sleepfoundation.org for lots of info. I did a quick check and didn’t see the Wilton experience, but you can check with the League of Women Voters in Wilton or Drs. Fine and O’Malley at Norwalk Hospital for information.</p>
<p>There are lots of helpful posts here. Thanks to all who contributed so far. I sent the link to this thread to everyone on my committee. </p>
<p>By the way, this issue was also formally aired in our town a couple years ago but nothing came of it (except this second try, right now). So it’s especially interesting to see that, according to some of you, it’s also a discussion that’s been bandied about for years in your communities, but with more talk than change.</p>
<p>Again, thanks.</p>
<p>Maybe a CC poster who lives in Edina, MN or Wilton, CT could pm you (Sally) with information on how their start-time changes were accomplished.</p>
<p>We had similar discussions years ago on our 7:20 to 2:25 schedule. What it came down to was sports. It was decided that our district could not change its daily schedule unless all the districts in the area changed, because of after school sports schedules. We know what is important in SW PA!</p>
<p>I go to a boarding school where classes originally began at 8:00, but this winter the school began testing a new schedule with classes starting at 8:20. It makes a huge difference to get that extra 20 minutes of sleep. The school is two-thirds boarders, so they just have to walk 30 seconds from their dorms, but for the day students who have to drive themselves (or have their parents drive them; no bus service) it is especially nice. Obviously as a boarding school with half-day classes on Wednesday and Saturday for games in the afternoon, we are able to be way more flexible than towns that have to deal with buses, and away games after full days of school.
Before I went to boarding school, I was at public school which started earlier, 7:45 IIRC. The town had a whole debate, multiple votes, student polls etc. In the end, they moved it 5 minutes forward to 7:50…</p>
<p>For the life of me, I don’t understand why high school starts earlier than elementary schools. Those little kids are up bright and early at 6 am, while teenagers are on an entirely different body clock. Research has shown that teens go to sleep later and wake up later. I’ve taught in high school, and seen the kids sleeping through first period classes. Schools that have switched to later start times have shown improvement in academic achievement. </p>
<p>A friend went to a school in England which incorporated sports practice and clubs mid-day. Classes were in the morning, there was a break for lunch, and then an hour of so for ECs. Then classes resumed. The day went late. Obviously this doesn’t work for kids who want afterschool jobs.</p>
<p>Saying that teens should just go to sleep earlier is not the answer. Their body clock is different – their body wants to stay up later. </p>
<p>My local high school starts at 8 am and ends at 3. This is a slight change from a few years ago, when it started at 7:50 and ended at 2:50.</p>
<p>Our district’s HS starts at 7:20 AM - 2:10 PM. I know sports is not the ONLY factor in the start time equation. Our district houses/teaches students in four building levels (HS is grades 9-12 // JH is grades 7 & 8 // Middle School is grades 5 & 6 // Elementary is grades K-4). Our district is required to provide bus service for all students that live more than one mile from their assigned school building but in reality, many neighborhoods within the one mile radius are provided bus service due to lack of side walks or rural routes. </p>
<p>Just this morning my HS athlete had an “optional” varsity wrestling practice before school. He was up at 5:15 AM and out the door by 5:35 AM. He will manage to shower before his first class (Honors Physics). At 2:30 he will be back in the wrestling room until 4:30, shower and home by 5:00 PM. Dinner, Chores and Homework follow a very long day. </p>
<p>I don’t have a problem with the early start times. The productivity of HS students can be greatly enhanced by good diet, exercise, sound sleep and time management. My husband and I have raised 3 year round athletes that excell in the class room. Early start times allow travel time for week night athletic events. It is not only athletes that benefit. Students that have part time jobs have time to complete homework before or after their scheduled shift(s).</p>
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<p>There should be a law against it. Insanity like that should be penalized.
We all need breaks to function. I am not just talking about breaks to eat. We need mental breaks to function well.</p>