It was disheartening to read in the Canberra Times on the 12th of December 2013, that all schools in the state are contemplating increasing the length of a school day from 7-9 hours. In the article “Howard calls for change in school hours?” John Howard, our Prime Minister, is attempting to convince the public that ‘children going to school longer hours will benefit them and their children more than having a normal length school day’. He claims our current school system is out of date and doesn’t reflect current trends where both parents work long hours. Clearly what he has failed to do is realise the cost of sending students to a private schools, the negative impact on adolescence’s sleep, and the effects of loss of extra …show more content…
Not only the that but ‘others are living with borderline-to-serious sleep deficits that could lead to daytime drowsiness, depression, and poor performance at school.’ (Center for Advancing Health, 2010). “The natural sleep-wake pattern shifts during adolescence, making earlier bed time and wake times more difficult. The result for students with early school start-times, (longer school hours) is a enduring sleep deficits,” said lead study author Danice Eaton, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Center for Advancing Health, …show more content…
It prevents them from going outside and kicking a ball around or enjoying time with friends and family. For example my year twelve daughter is already juggling a busy schedule packed with homework and extra-curricula activities. So lengthening school hours would result in her sacrificing her extra-curricula activities to make room for sleep and homework. Either that or she won’t sleep at all. Although academic work is vital, aren’t extra-curricular activities also significant for students because they teach responsibility, resilience and teamwork? In fact, most schools require a wide variety of activities for every student. But these important activities are often cancelled due to lack of time in school and homework. Surely having less time in school could allow students the freedom to discover other interests that are fulfilling and