Every day I have to wake up at 6:30 a.m. and drag myself out of bed. I arrive at school groggy and tired, unable to focus and already dreading the day to come. I go through my classes in a daze and by the end of the school day, I am mentally exhausted. But the day is not over, next I change out and go to cross country practice. This should be the best part of my day, getting to hang out with friends and do something I love, but it’s not because I’m already exhausted. I force myself through the run and finally get to go home. Although I am at home where I should relax, I don’t feel relaxed because now I have a room to clean, homework to complete and questions from my parents to answer. I know I am not the only one who has a similar day to this and that’s why we need to rework our schedule so kids have the energy to take advantage of all the opportunities they’re given.

We need to rethink the school day, starting with sports practice, then going into the school day and finally cutting back on the amount of homework. Imagine sleeping in a little later, then going to sports practice and after school. This schedule would allow students to enter the school day feeling energized – and it is backed by science. Let’s break this down event by event as to why this schedule would create a better learning environment for kids.

A teenager’s natural sleep schedule is to go to bed and wake up later. This is due to the body releasing melatonin later at night once they hit puberty. Teens need to be sleeping 8-10 hours a night because sleep is a necessity for body growth and, especially for adolescents, sleep helps regulate mood and reduces risk of depression and anxiety. Early school start times prohibit natural sleep schedules and starting later would help align with teenagers’ natural sleep schedules.

Now that we’ve covered basic necessities for a teenager, let’s look at how we should set up our day. First, we should go to sports practice. The number one reason for this, which is also backed by science, is that exercise gets the blood flowing and wakes up the brain. A workout in the morning starts the day on a positive note and is a great way to reduce stress for kids. I also personally think that it takes way less time to get ready for practice then it does for school. You can skip doing your hair and makeup along with picking out an outfit you feel confident and comfortable in. This means you could sleep in later and get up at 7:30 instead of 6:30. Practice could then begin at 8:00 a.m. and have a clear cut off of 2 hours which is plenty of time for a student athlete to be working out. 

After practice, student athletes could go home and the school day would begin at 11:15 AM. Kids could still have the option to go to school at 10:45 and eat lunch there but otherwise they could eat at home before school. At 11:15, the school bell would ring and the school day would begin. Starting at this time would mean kids are more awake and energized from sports practice and sleeping in a little longer. Kids would go through their normal classes then school would end at 6:30 p.m., which is perfect for dinner time with family. Now I know you’re thinking: this sounds awfully late, but kids are already done with sports practice so really they’re getting home at the same time as normal if they were to go to sports practice after school. 

Now, let’s talk about the only necessary homework piece. Not all homework that teachers give out is completely necessary. It often only adds stress to the kids’ nights and doesn’t actually help them in class. Students have already spent the day learning effectively since their brains were stimulated during practice before school, so why would we overload them at night. Of course, I agree that some homework is necessary: reading, studying for a test or finishing work that they failed to complete in class. Although, teachers should know quality over quantity is often much more beneficial for students, since most of the time when we’re doing homework we’re not actually paying attention.

Starting school later not only benefits students, but also benefits teachers. While kids are at sports practice, teachers could be doing lesson plans or attending meetings in the morning instead of late at night. We should plan the school day in a way that would work best for teenagers to learn the most efficiently.