Reducing The Days In School
Executive summary
Students have complained about the school hours, school hours start very early in the morning and ends very late in the evening, and it always happens every time and every day. Students as young as the kids have to wake up very early in the morning to reach their places of learning, which sometimes they do not want, all these activities of knowledge which take much time make the students unmotivated. The researchers have taken their time to research the hour’s students receive in school and how those long hours affect them both mentally and psychologically (Bejan, 2019). If the researchers have proven that starting school late or taking a shorter time in school is better, why hasn’t action been taken to mitigate this?
Discussion
Teachers have been having the responsibility of assigning homework, which is done by students every day; in giving the assignments, teachers always do not consider the time it will take for the completion of these assignments, and these assignments have been considered as mini-projects by most teachers to students. Teachers do this in just one class when they give these assignments; they expect them the next day and mark them. While they are assigning this homework to students, they also told them that they should get 8 hours of sleep, thus completing all these assignments and getting enough sleep of 8 hours have become tiresome for most students, and this has become a cycle of endless impossibilities (Hincapie, 2016). According to the research by the national sleep foundation, most of the adolescents in the adolescent stage tend to suffer from deprivation of sleep. Teens tend to get less amount of sleep at a satisfactory level. The schedule of sleep, which is interrupted by schoolwork, tends to affect children’s brain development and their ability to take important information. Most people think that kids always just complain, but they do not realize that kids or teens also need enough time to sleep. Lack of enough sleep causes problems such as violence, alcohol use, impaired cognitive functions, depression, and behavioral and emotional issues. All these problems come because there is nobody ready to shorten the school day.
Staying in school longer has benefits, but some limitations come along with it. Advantages that come together with a shorter stay in school promotes social, emotional, and physical benefits to learners, some of the gains arising along with shorter school days include;
- Shifting of students on other activities
In most cases, students spend long hours in school, which hinders them from participating in activities such as clubs, sports, and voluntary work, which are co-curricular activities. Even though academic work is essential for the students, these other activities are also crucial since they educate the students on teamwork and responsibility. Most universities and other learning institutions always need more activities for new students. Still, often these times of events are continually interrupted by the school a long time and homework (Motomura, 2019). The education system should be made in such a manner that it equips students with the foundation. Still, the current system of education is causing many students to focus only on intellectual pursuits. Less time in school will allow the students to identify other potential activities they are good at and have an interest in, stimulating, and fulfilling.
- There should be more resting time for students.
As much as the students get more time to concentrate on essential activities, longer school time always gives them less resting time. Following research done, the minors need at least 8 hours to sleep. However, many schools begin very early as 7.00 am, to get enough time, they are forced to sleep as soon as 8 pm, but this always becomes impossible because they are ever given homework to do (Speer, 2016). The reality comes in time spent in long hours in school and time have taken to do homework; this leaves the students with no time to spend doing other activities, having fun, and spending time with friends, leaving alone the time of sleep they desperately need.
- Teachers would be healthier.
Many societies in today’s world often do not appreciate the teachers, and they receive pay, which is less and sometimes extended. Even though some teachers get off summers, they often go beyond the call of duty to do extra tasks during the school year, such as programs in out of class tutoring and grading. If they worked for shorter hours during the day in school, they later focus on their students and their education in the work they do, such as planning lessons and grading.
- Students are not employees.
Many people who are working argue that since they work for 8 to 9 hours, school hours should also operate the same. However, the students, especially those who are young, should not be expected to perform longer hours of learning than adults, they need breaks from prolonged sitting in desks and classrooms (Figlio et al. 2018). Many educational settings have allowed students to be active during the day, which helps them a lot, but students should not be put to school for 8 hours compared to working days.
Pros and cons of lengthening the school day
School day extension is a massive topic among the policy concerned with educational making bodies. This force is driving the lengthening of school days believes that more time would yield more significant academic gains. However, some researchers believe that extending the school hours will be of less benefit to the students. However, the few benefits come with huge costs, including any expenses incurred by the school systems (Hori et al. 2019). Afternoon extracurricular activities that are being disrupted also pose an extended day of school that might not be a good idea for helping the grade levels of students.
- Pro—the availability of more instructional time
The most obvious reason school time is being extended is to create more time for the instructions, given much demand that is needed for teachers to give students enough content, and teachers must require more time for giving instructions. Standardized testing has already been taken for a significant portion of school year instructional time. Increasing the amount of time that students need to attend the classes will make up for the time which is lost and provide enough time for teachers to teach, do an assessment and reteach.
- Pro—more time available for planning
Plans to in extending school day time may include having ideas of reducing by one at least days in the week in which students attend school. This will allow the teachers to have enough opportunity to plan on the days which they are free, not working, as planning, which is adequate, is an excellent component in teaching, which is useful. When the teachers are provided with enough opportunity for planning, which is additional, this will positively influence the quality of instructions they are giving; therefore, this will lead to increased student achievement.
- Con—interference with extracurricular activities
After school, extracurricular activities always occur; these activities are sometimes not completed or are completed late, leading to complications in transportation. Even if sometimes transport does not contribute to student time demand, if the students begin their co-curricular activities later in the day, they will have less time doing their homework or planning for the next day’s lessons. An increase in the hours of schools among the students will reduce the amount of time which they can take to do their work, activities, and other relaxation which may enhance personal growth for a child.
- Con—increase in financial burden on the system
Lengthening the days in schools may have adverse effects on the budget system in many schools, extending the school day may increase the hour’s teachers use for teaching; therefore, their pay must also increase. Extension in days of schools will also produce an extension in expenses of operation in the buildings if the hours are extended; more costs will be incurred in cooling and heating of buildings.
- Con—logistical and financial problems for parents
Plans that are increasing the number of school learning hours are always accompanied by methods of increasing the days of the week and the month in general. School week may consist of 4 days in the whole week, whereby the students will attend the classes from 8 to 5 pm daily; these plans will lead to financial and logistical problems that are related to care of the child on the fifth day.
Side effects of school being too long.
The administrators, parents, educators, and students have always debated whether to lengthen the days in school. The statistics done have proven that there are more disadvantages than outweigh the benefits of longer hours in school. School days, which are extended, results in low energy among the students, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and scheduling conflict.
- Unhappy students, parents, and staff
One of the most significant disadvantages that come with extended days in school will always be discontent and unhappiness. Longer hours in school will mean less time for other activities such as sleep, exercise, entertainment, philanthropic involvement, recreation, and family time. There has not been better research that has proven the extended school days and better or positive results that come with it. Extended school days will always lead to tiredness, disappointment, and frustration for everyone involved in the school.
- Low energy
Longer days in school will lead to problems and hunger among the students who burn a lot of calories or do not eat lunch during school. This leads to loss of energy; thus, they become less physically and mentally equipped to take more time and learn in classes, thus lengthening days in schools, leading to low energy and fatigue.
- Logistical concerns
Longer school days mean that students will have to wake up early to take the bus for school, and they will not return home until late in the evening. Some students, especially those who are young, will wake early, thus not getting enough sleep; co-curricular activities will also take place late, forcing them to get home late to start their homework. Extending school hours will not only affect academic time in the classroom but also change time at home.
- Overworked teachers
Extending days in school will lead to many teachers having problems. After school, most of them have responsibilities such as grading papers, reporting grades, organizing, and classroom decoration, and preparing activities. When the teachers do not have enough accommodation, they will have less time to take care of after school duties or obligations that are personal.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the learning systems be set so that students are given enough time to rest and participate in other co-curricular activities apart from regular school studies. Shortening the school days will help the students realize other careers they may be good at or interest in. Therefore students must be given enough time to relax after school; thus, they will develop physically and emotionally.
References
Bejan, A. (2019). Why the days seem shorter as we get older. European Review, 27(2), 187-194.
Figlio, D., Holden, K. L., & Ozek, U. (2018). Do students benefit from longer school days? Regression discontinuity evidence from Florida’s additional hour of literacy instruction. Economics of Education Review, 67, 171-183.
Hincapie, D. (2016). Do longer school days improve student achievement? Evidence from Colombia (No. IDB-WP-679). IDB Working paper series.
Hori, D., Sasahara, S., Oi, Y., Doki, S., Andrea, C. S., Takahashi, T., … & Aoki, E. (2019). Relationships between insomnia, long working hours, and long commuting time among public school teachers in Japan: a nationwide cross-sectional diary study. Sleep Medicine.
Motomura, R. (2019). Why do teachers in Japan work long hours?: Comparison of job contents of primary school teachers in Finland.
Speer, J. D. (2016). Wages, hours, and the school-to-work transition: the consequences of leaving school in a recession for less-educated men. The BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 16(1), 97-124.