I recently read this statistic: Twenty percent of teens fall asleep during class every day. I began to ponder why teens are continuously asked to perform academically at early times of the morning in light of scientific evidence to the contrary. Study after study has shown teens do better in school and have less depression when they are allowed to start working later in the morning.
A middle school student told me last night she has to get up by 6:00 a.m. in order to be ready to be on the bus before 7:00. In order to get the recommended nine hours of sleep, she would have to be in bed and asleep by 9:00 each night. With after-school activities and homework, that can be a challenge. Add in the circadian rhythm changes that occur during adolescence, which cause teens to want to stay up later/sleep later, and that's a near impossibility. Thus, the sleep deprivation cycle begins.
I've heard adults make the argument that "this is what they will have to do in the real world." True, but by then, they will be adults and will have outgrown this particular biological tendency.
In this "age of science", why is only some science regarded as important? In this case, school districts will say it's a matter of budget or, sadly, the need to accommodate sports. If this is a matter of our whether or not our children get a good education, why isn't this issue as important as funding for schools (which is always backed up with scientific data)?
Deuteronomy 4:9 says: "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."
I've taught early morning Sunday school for teens and can say with all authority, I may as well have been attempting to instruct a brick wall. Parents, have you ever attempted to communicate some deep and wonderful truth to your teen at 7:00 in the morning? If so, I know you get what I am saying.
I say, let the kids sleep later. What do you think?
5 comments:
I agree let them sleep. ~ Sue Graf
I have always agreed with this. We homeschooled our teen daughter thru 8th grade and always let her sleep later and start school later. Now that she is in Private school, she is up early. I know she doesn't get much out of it until 10am. Bring on summer and let them sleep. They won't be able to as adults. Why are we so anxious to have them grow up "in the real world" so soon?
As a student, I am thrilled that an adult actually agrees on the things that I've always thought to myself. I've also heard the statistics about kids doing better in school later in the day but for after school sports, etc. reasons school has to start early in the morning. My friends and I joke around about going to bed at midnight, yet again, because work and homework kept us up most of the night, but the sad thing about it is, it's actually true... every single night!! For the past month I've been pulling myself out of bed 45 minutes later than I would normally get up because I am sooo tired. I don't even care what I look like as long as I get to hit snooze a couple more times. I also used to enjoy at least 'sleeping in' on the weekends, but because I now have a job, unless I take a Saturday off of work, it's back to the good ol' alarm clock again. I'm 18 years old and I've had a job since I was 16, so this has been a routine of mine for two years now. We may need to get used to this kind of thing because it's what it's like in the 'real world' but I feel like I've grown up two years too early. Thanks for writing this article!
I've been in total agreement with this since the statistics came out years ago. Even when there is no homework, it can be very difficult for night owls (as most teens are) to manage to fall asleep early enough to get what they need.
Add to that the studies that show that sleep is essential for memory. Without adequate sleep, memory is lessened. Somehow it seems counter-productive to make students try to learn while sleep-deprived.
I hate to say it but a lot of this comes from parent peer pressure, in my opinion. We fret and worry for 18+ yrs. that our kids won't do better than we did, so we push and push from little on to get them involved in so many things they don't have time to just be kids. We don't just want them to do better than we did, we want them to do better than everyone else's kids, too, if we're really honest with ourselves. We get this pit in our stomachs as we worry about this, and we justify it by saying "This is the real world. They need to get used to it."
But it's not the real world. At least not for most of us as adults.
Toss in some issues inherent in the educational system on both sides, i.e. budget constraints, teacher shortages, and pressure from govt. rules (state & federal) and the schools are put in a nearly impossible position. Teachers have my utmost respect!
Then add in a teen's natural sleep cycle change - and his or her own pressures from commitments or expectations (of themselves and/or their parents) and it's little wonder that 1/5 of them are falling asleep in class.
I know my situation is unique, but what I've done is try to work with that natural sleep rhythm. I get teased for letting my kids stay up late, and get up late, because you know getting up earlier is just morally better ;-) It's easy for me because we homeschool - yet I do wish there was something that the educational system could do to help the kids. A change in a later start and end time, though, would mess up parents' schedules as well, so this wouldn't be a reasonable solution.
All this to say, I hear ya, Lisa. And I agree. Let them sleep! I just don't know how that could happen with the system we have in place right now.
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