Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was wondering, is anyone here following the news regarding the proposed time changes for West Hartford Schools and the news thats going on about it? West Hartford is a huge town, but other towns have been considering it as well depending on what happens in West Hartford.
A number of people say that research has proven that teens are feeling too depressed and thinking suicidal thoughts due to lack of sleep. They are coming to false conclusions stating that teens literally cannot sleep earlier than 11:30pm. I think this is rubbish if you ask me.
What are all of your stances on this? I feel that the main problem is that parents are not being parents and letting their children stay up later than they should. The fact is changing the high school times will also affect middle school and elementary and cost a lot more $$$ with busses. Also how could this affect sports and athletic teams as well? Would those times need to change too?
I have also been reading that yesterday the democratic chairman was pushed out of her position after being accused of siding with changing times and leaking out false and bias information, which caused the vote to be postponed.
The other point is I feel the school budgets need to be cut anyway due to so much $$$ being put into public schools when there are also many good private schools around as well. Changing times will make more unnecessary money being spent (up to hundreds and thousands of dollars), while it could be spent on much more important resources provided by the government.
What are all your thoughts on this? Also do any of you know what other towns are looking into this as well? Not so sure. I've heard neighboring towns have talked about it like: Farmington, and possibly Glastonbury. And a few western coastal towns: Greenwich, Darien, etc. Not sure about Stamford, Westport, Fairfield, or New Haven.
I believe a lot of communitiesa are looking at doing this. I can’t say I blame them. Here in Glastonbury, buses begin picking up high school students before 6:30 AM. Many days it would still be dark at that time.
In order for kids to get 8 hours sleep, they must be in bed and sleeping by 10:00 PM. That is a bit early IMHO for any teenager. To give my kids as much sleep as possible, I would drive them to school most days. A lot of parents did. The high school started at 7:30 so we would leave at 7:00. That gave them over an extra half hour sleep. Made a difference.
Keep in mind too that kids today are very busy. Many have after school activities followed by jobs and then homework and study. Actually more than when I was that age.
I am wondering if you are or ever have been a parent of a teenager? You really expect a parent to dictate the bedtime of a 17 or 18 year old? Not going to happen, at least not with much success. That did not even happen when I was in high school. In fact I think it is wrong for a parent to do that. How are you preparing your kids for their future if you are dictating the times they go to bed? You’re not. You need to allow them to make their own decisions, good or bad. That is good parenting.
I realize that the reason the high schools tend to start so early is because of school bus schedules. The buses start transporting high school students, then go to middle schools and finally the elementary school kids. To change the high school times means there will be a need for additional buses which means additional costs. The question is, will it be worth that extra cost. Being a parent who wants the best for their kids, I do. Jay
Our town here in MA just did this. In my neighborhood, the bus times used to be:
High School 7:15
Middle School 7:45
Elementary School 8:15.
Now it's:
High School 8:10
Middle School 7:10
Elementary School 7:40.
They did not have to change the number of buses, simply the times. There were complaints regarding the late start of after school activities, part time jobs, and child care of younger siblings by older siblings as well as parents who said it would be impossible to get their younger kids up earlier. In my experience, when my kids were elementary age, they were ready to go by 7 AM everyday and when they were in high school, they were up but not ready to do much.
Research presented shows that the teen body shifts their circadian rhythm by about 2 hours and they simply can't go to sleep at an early hour. When every kid is sitting in class with a cup of coffee and yawning, it's a waste of time.
I believe a lot of communitiesa are looking at doing this. I can’t say I blame them. Here in Glastonbury, buses begin picking up high school students before 6:30 AM. Many days it would still be dark at that time.
In order for kids to get 8 hours sleep, they must be in bed and sleeping by 10:00 PM. That is a bit early IMHO for any teenager. To give my kids as much sleep as possible, I would drive them to school most days. A lot of parents did. The high school started at 7:30 so we would leave at 7:00. That gave them over an extra half hour sleep. Made a difference.
Keep in mind too that kids today are very busy. Many have after school activities followed by jobs and then homework and study. Actually more than when I was that age.
I am wondering if you are or ever have been a parent of a teenager? You really expect a parent to dictate the bedtime of a 17 or 18 year old? Not going to happen, at least not with much success. That did not even happen when I was in high school. In fact I think it is wrong for a parent to do that. How are you preparing your kids for their future if you are dictating the times they go to bed? You’re not. You need to allow them to make their own decisions, good or bad. That is good parenting.
I realize that the reason the high schools tend to start so early is because of school bus schedules. The buses start transporting high school students, then go to middle schools and finally the elementary school kids. To change the high school times means there will be a need for additional buses which means additional costs. The question is, will it be worth that extra cost. Being a parent who wants the best for their kids, I do. Jay
That's what I'd like to know.
I was always extremely tired in the morning and never did well in the first class of the day. My eyes were open, but I didn't remember much that went on.
I believe a lot of communitiesa are looking at doing this. I can’t say I blame them. Here in Glastonbury, buses begin picking up high school students before 6:30 AM. Many days it would still be dark at that time.
In order for kids to get 8 hours sleep, they must be in bed and sleeping by 10:00 PM. That is a bit early IMHO for any teenager. To give my kids as much sleep as possible, I would drive them to school most days. A lot of parents did. The high school started at 7:30 so we would leave at 7:00. That gave them over an extra half hour sleep. Made a difference.
Keep in mind too that kids today are very busy. Many have after school activities followed by jobs and then homework and study. Actually more than when I was that age.
I am wondering if you are or ever have been a parent of a teenager? You really expect a parent to dictate the bedtime of a 17 or 18 year old? Not going to happen, at least not with much success. That did not even happen when I was in high school. In fact I think it is wrong for a parent to do that. How are you preparing your kids for their future if you are dictating the times they go to bed? You’re not. You need to allow them to make their own decisions, good or bad. That is good parenting.
I realize that the reason the high schools tend to start so early is because of school bus schedules. The buses start transporting high school students, then go to middle schools and finally the elementary school kids. To change the high school times means there will be a need for additional buses which means additional costs. The question is, will it be worth that extra cost. Being a parent who wants the best for their kids, I do. Jay
But your point about bed times almost seems to make the argument for the other side. If you start school later, kids will just start going to bed later and it won't make any difference. I just changed my work hours and I now start later. I've also been going to bed later......
This has been proposed and turned down several times already. The fact is, the natural circadian rhythm of young kids is to get up early. By the time kids hit 13, their natural circadian rhythm is to be very tired in the late afternoon, then wake up in the evening, have trouble falling asleep until late, and then sleep late. This probably has to do with biology. After all, what is a teen supposed to do in the late evening, to pass on his genes? Go hunting for a mate, at night in the cave, village, whatever.
It makes complete sense to have the youngest kids start first, then the middle schoolers, and then the high schoolers. The proposal on the table moves the high schoolers' start time later, and has the middle schoolers starting first, and the elementary kids starting latest. Not the best, but better than what we have. There was a district-wide survey, to which the response was overwhelmingly in favor of the proposed time change.
BUT.... then an unsolicited letter-writing campaign began, by those who needed the start time to stay the way it was because of a parent's work schedule. After all, school is free daycare. Then the Hartford Courant got wind of the fact that the president of the school board had had communication with a parent who essentially said, "Oh, there are unsolicited letters coming in against the time change? Fine, I'll get you unsolicited letters in favor of the time change!" And this has warranted two articles in the Courant, the head of the school board has stepped back from being the chair, and the decision has been delayed.
I do think a parent has the right to dictate when a 17 or 18 year old goes to bed, if they are providing for them still. Or, if you think they they need to learn to be adults by them setting their own bedtimes, then they should also suffer the consequences of being late to school. Then they can be adult-like and adjust their bedtime on their own to make sure they wake up in time.
I also did not function well in the morning as a teen or even into my 20s, but I was going to bed by 11 or I couldn't get up. If I couldn't get up, I got jolted awake by an alarm or a parent yelling which really got my day off to a bad start. If I overslept, I didn't get a ride to school. I could walk or ride my bike. I had an after school job at 16, and was in band and played sports.
Are kids seriously drinking coffee in school? We didn't have drink or food in classrooms. That and energy drinks will really mess up your rhythm. I've done it plenty of times. Tired in the afternoon but I don't want to be, have some of an energy drink and not only do I make it through the afternoon, but the night and into the wee hours of the morning. It sets a cycle that's hard to break.
I do think a parent has the right to dictate when a 17 or 18 year old goes to bed, if they are providing for them still. Or, if you think they they need to learn to be adults by them setting their own bedtimes, then they should also suffer the consequences of being late to school. Then they can be adult-like and adjust their bedtime on their own to make sure they wake up in time.
I also did not function well in the morning as a teen or even into my 20s, but I was going to bed by 11 or I couldn't get up. If I couldn't get up, I got jolted awake by an alarm or a parent yelling which really got my day off to a bad start. If I overslept, I didn't get a ride to school. I could walk or ride my bike. I had an after school job at 16, and was in band and played sports.
Are kids seriously drinking coffee in school? We didn't have drink or food in classrooms. That and energy drinks will really mess up your rhythm. I've done it plenty of times. Tired in the afternoon but I don't want to be, have some of an energy drink and not only do I make it through the afternoon, but the night and into the wee hours of the morning. It sets a cycle that's hard to break.
I've heard lot of kids drink coffee now. I don't remember this ever being a thing when I went to school. Not sure kids drinking coffee and sitting in class all day is a good thing. No wonder there's so many ADHD diagnoses.
I've heard lot of kids drink coffee now. I don't remember this ever being a thing when I went to school. Not sure kids drinking coffee and sitting in class all day is a good thing. No wonder there's so many ADHD diagnoses.
I've seen them drinking coffee around town (Glastonbury) but didn't even consider it could happen during class.
I didn't know anyone my age who drank coffee until college, and even that was rare.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
