12:42:00 PM EST
Hearing Nothing at the moment.
Start School at 11am?
I can't imagine any teen anywhere disagreeing with this idea:
Teenage pupils should start school in the afternoon because making them turn up in the morning is "cruel", a top brain doctor has claimed.
Professor Russell Foster said teens would acheive more if they were allowed to have a lie-in and not start their classes until the afternoon. The Oxford University neuroscientist said grumpy teenagers follow different sleep patterns from adults - making them more alert in the afternoon than in the morning. And he said German and American schools which switched to later start times had experienced improved success in exams and reduced rates of truancy and depression.
Prof Foster said that forcing teenagers to turn up to school in the morning could result in more errors, poor memory, reduced motivation and depression.
He suggests later hours for both high school and college students. In college, of course, lots of students do this already -- I remember specifically not scheduling any of my college classes before 10am if I could help it (and, likewise, not scheduling them after 2pm either -- let's just say I'm still constantly amazed I graduated at all).
In high school, I certainly wouldn't have minded having classes start later, but as it happens in high school I was often up very early -- I went to boarding school, and if you wanted hot water in the shower, you got there before everyone else. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
Think back to your high school and college years. Think you would have done better if your classes were later in the day?
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry
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Dear John,
I definately think that this would help my teen and would have greatly assisted my older children, and Monponsett and Dan and Paul! lol!
Dawn and Joyce seem to do ok on all of that coffee!:):) However, lots of us do better later!
yours, nat
ps my teen has not much going until 10! at least! -
I say we have the kids start at 11 and STILL get out at 3:00. Of course, I think we should also add a fifth year ... but that's just me.
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Well it's possible we could make some changes to the school's time. But I think if you go to bed early and get a get a good night sleep. Wake up and eat a good breakfast, that will improve as well. That's what I think and it's a proven fact as well. I like your journal! Thanks for sharing that info with us.
http://journals.aol.com/mybabyalan/airborneprivate/
Samantha -
I don't know about this - my high school started ridiculously early - homeroom @ 7:35 - and I rarely got home before 4:30 pm (I was heavily involved in extracurriculars). If school started later, I don't think I ever would've been home for dinner!
Besides, eventually they're going to have to wake up for work. And wouldn't that be "cruel" after waking up at 10 am your whole life?
4/10/07 10:24 PM