Students Should Start Later Essay

Do you know the feeling when you get good grades or win a game for your team? It gives you confidence and makes you feel proud that you’ve accomplished something. But with the later starting times you might have a struggle between grades and sports. With the later starting times it might be an obstacle to get to sports events or making it to any after school activity when you might have a school class at that time. Or the school sports will be releasing athletes later from practice because of the time taken off by starting school and dismissing students from school later. In my opinion I think that students shouldn't start later because of traffic with transportation and after school activities interfering.

One reason middle and high schools
should start later is the transportation and traffic. Some communities have a problem with the change of times increasing traffic backup and will be an issue for both teachers and students (NS Foundation). “Teen drivers are high at risk for “drowsy driving” which will increase the car crash rate to a higher percent. “(NS Foundation) And with normal school times students will be able to be conscious of their surroundings.

Another reason would be if school gets out later most athletes will be required to be dismissed out of class earlier to attend a game. Which in this issue students will have to choose between a game or a test which no one should have to make. And a later time dismissal will decrease the amount of time athletes will be able to practice or game time (especially daylight savings time) (Edina, MN). In Megan Kuhfeld’s junior year in high school she had to miss sixth and seventh period class to be able to attend a tennis match and play against another school. So in her junior and senior year she had to made up all AP classes that she missed. (Kuhfeld) “ It was hard to balance everything” , she said “I’d get home at 8 p.m. and hadn’t had dinner yet” (Kuhfeld). With coming home from sports late students wouldn’t be able to do homework which would cause grades to drop.

One argument against middle and high school starting later would be the district's start time is too early.
Research has demonstrated that the normal teenager’s bedtime to fall asleep would be 11pm or later, because of this change in their internal clocks teens may be wide awake laying in bed even when they are extremely tired. (Wolfson & Carskadon, 1998). “Also research has proven that sleep deprivation has a major negative impact on organization and ability, so it makes sense for prepared and rested students and athletes perform better sports wise and academically” (NS Foundation). Nevertheless, students will be used to there normal sleeping pattern and will be able to perform quite well in school and sports, which will drop the crash rate percent (NS Foundation).

In conclusion, I think that middle and high schools shouldn’t start later, because of sports practices being dismissed later because of that school being dismissed later, transportation with car crashes and coming home late will be the main cause of the higher crash rate, and last but not least it will help students perform better both academically and sports wise if they were to stick to their normal sleeping patterns. And if when it comes to choosing between a missing a class for a sports event that was important or just staying in the class and miss an important sports event which one would you
choose.