hi hello how are you good? good. I'm good too. lez get started.
Sooooo I know it's been pretty dead around here but if any of y'alls are doing camp nano this April, throw your username down below and I'll add you to my cabin and we can be CABINMATESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Also if y'alls just want to talk, you can comment too. Comment anything. Spam me with memes. Please tell me this place isn't as dead as it looks :D
(also hello my school board sucks okay so listen up guys they're trying to change our bell time from 8:40 to 8:10 and they're asking for opinions from the public, right, and more than 99% of the people who responded said they were against it and only 0.67% of the people said they were for it, so there's that, and then the entire report was like 'this is why people don't want to change the bell times' and then they list like 7 extremely good and reasonable reasons as to why they shouldn't change the bell times right, so you're thinking, 'wow! they might keep the bell time as it is now!' and then after listing A CRAPTON OF REASONS THEY SHOULD KEEP THE CURRENT BELL TIMES, they're like, 'however, if we do change the bell time, we will be able to save 12 buses so we are going to make it 30 minutes earlier!' AND LIKE BOI OKAY SO THEY'RE BEING STUPID NOW HERE'S MY PROBLEM WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND GET THE WHOLE SCHOOL INVOLVED TO SOMEHOW PROTEST IT, BUT WE NEED A LOT OF SUPPORT AND I DON'T THINK ME, AN INTROVERT, CAN GET THEM TO DO ANYTHING. THEY'RE LIKE OH YEAH WELL IT'S THE SCHOOL BOARD YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WELL LIKE BOI YOU HAVE TO TRY HAVE U LEARNED NOTHING FROM LES MIS AND I'M VERY TEMPTED TO POST A RANT ABOUT THIS AND POST CLAIR'S ESSAY ABOUT IT AND POST MY LETTER ABOUT IT BUT JKFDHGKJDFSHGKJSHDFGKJHSDKJGHSDKJFHGKJSDFHGKJSDFHKJGHSDFKJGHKJSDFGHJKSDFHGKJDFSH
High Schools and Middle Schools Should Have Later Start Times
There is a remarkable amount of scientific proof that high schools and middle schools must implement later start times in order for students to get enough sleep. The majority of experts have agreed that teenagers need nine and a half hours of sleep to function properly, yet more than two-thirds of students get less than eight hours, and two-fifths get under six hours of sleep. This has created a huge health concern that seriously needs to be addressed and resolved. Despite this, it was pointed out by Virginia Foxx, a representative of North Carolina’s 5th District in the U.S. States House of Representatives and chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, that, “We have ignored that research for the convenience of the adults.” When developing adolescents fail to get sufficient sleep, the only solution is to push back high school and middle school start times to at least eight thirty in the morning. It is imperative that adults realize that teenagers have a completely different circadian rhythm, or internal clock, than adults and younger children. Typically, teenagers don’t release melatonin until about eleven o'clock at night, which explains why it seems nearly impossible for them to fall asleep at a “reasonable” time. Due to this shift, teens can’t get the recommended amount sleep that is vital for them to develop and grow because they fall asleep late at night and wake up way too early. Several studies have proven that insufficient amount of sleep negatively affects students’ well-being, which then affects academic life and surrounding communities.
Some of the physical and mental effects of insufficient sleep include irritability, cognitive impairment, memory lapses, impaired moral judgement, hallucinations, symptoms similar to ADHD, impaired immune system, increased heart rate variability, increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of diabetes (type two), increased reaction time, decreased accuracy, tremors, aches, growth suppression, and increased risk of obesity. It would take a long time to go through each of those individual issues on the list of how those things affect the student’s life, both at school and at home. Chair and Founder of Start School Later Incorporation once commented, “One hour less of weekday sleep is associated with significantly greater odds of suicide attempts and seriously considering suicide.” It is imperative for everyone to realize how great of an physical and mental impact sleep has on teenagers. If schools simply pushed start times back, the well-being of teenagers would not be put at risk. Moreover, teenagers that get little sleep affect several academic aspects. Virginia Foxx said, “We’ve known for a long time that adolescents do a very poor job early in the morning.” Because learning ability, cognitive performance, memory, attention, ability to manage time, and decision making skills are all influenced by the hours of sleep a student gets, everything that occurs in the classroom is impacted. Early start times leave students falling asleep during morning classes, which only results in teachers spending a significant amount of time pestering kids that are trying to catch up on their sleep. This decreases the amount of instruction performed in class and distracts and other students. When students’ grades begin to lower, teachers become concerned. When this factor is combined with the research showing that early start times result in lower grades, lower standardized test scores, and a drop in attendance, teachers need additional time to teach, which happens to be the very time that was wasted when resolving issues with the tired students. In the long run, this results in lower graduation rates. Assuming that a school district shifted the high school and middle school schedules, there would be a positive increase of academic performance. Furthermore, the amount of sleep a student gets affects communities. In high school, when juniors and seniors are driving to school early in the morning, not getting enough sleep the night before means tired students, all being relatively inexperienced drivers. Groggy students driving around in the dark only results in accidents, especially in the winter. Cecilia Peacock, who works in the United States Public Health Service, said, “Car crashes decrease up to 70% with just one hour in a shift in the bell start times.” This statement confirms that when students get more sleep, they are more alert and can focus on driving, especially if they’re making their commute in the dark. Furthermore, while parents are at a lower risk of dozing off and losing their attention, it is still possible for them to be involved in car accidents when driving children to school in the morning. If schools implemented a later start time and students got enough sleep, there would definitely be a decrease in car accidents.
Despite all of the evidence that shows why schools should implement later start times, some people believe that the start time should not change. One of the main concerns people have about starting late start times is the fact that more money will have to be spent on busing and of course, on the incentives that would be given by the government. Unfortunately, not many people take pleasure in paying taxes, but in the long run, the investment would pay off. Additionally, some people do point something out. If we push start times back, we push back the end times. No one can argue with that, unless someone proposed shortening the school days. Even if that was suggested, it wouldn’t go over well. Consequently, if the start and end times were both pushed back, the new schedule would interfere with extracurriculars and jobs. Coaches would struggle with scheduling practices and games. Managers would be forced to turn down students if they refused to work late hours. Moreover, family life would be different. Parents would have to arrange for babysitters or daycares because they depend on older children to take care of younger siblings when the return home. Dinners would be later and there wouldn’t be a lot of time for family interaction, assuming the parents and younger children went to bed before the teenagers. Really, it’s just the logistics that people are worried about. But after a while, the bumps would be smoothed out, and the students, schools, and community would reap the benefits of having later start times.
Instead of forcing all schools to make the switch, the change should still remain optional, which maintains some freedom and keep complaints to a minimum. How then should school districts be encouraged to change the schedules of high schools and middle schools? The government could provide monetary incentives for districts that accepted a policy of starting high school and middle school classes after eight thirty in the morning. This solution, being a more liberal stance, would encourage school districts to prioritize the physical and mental health of students, the safety of the community, and the improvement of academic performance over saving money for other causes and less hassle with logistical matters that would eventually be solved. But really, should the health and education of teenagers even be sacrificed instead of the government investing in creating a healthy workforce that will inherit the current one?
En plus, les scientifiques ont prouvé que la plupart des écoles commencent beaucoup trop tôt. Idéalement, les écoles secondaires devraient commencer après 8h30. Les ados ont besoin de 8 à 9 heures de sommeil, et plusieurs d’eux reçoivent beaucoup moins que ça. Mélatonine, qui nous dit quand il faut dormir, n'apparaît pas dans les ados jusqu’à à peu près 11h. C’est parfaitement normal, car nos corps sont en train de grandir. L’adolescence est un période très important dans notre vie, et c’est la seule fois que nos corps grandissent comme ça. Maintenant que ça change de 8h40 à 8h10, on perd 30 minutes d’extra, et dans les matins, c’est beaucoup de temps. Vous pourriez dire qu’il faut simplement dormir plus tôt, mais on ne peut pas faire cela car, premièrement, il y a plusieurs élèves qui font des extracurriculaires après l’école, et deuxièmement, c’est plus naturel pour nous de dormir à ce temps. Beaucoup de scientifiques l’ont étudié, et ont demandé les écoles secondaires de commencer plus tard. Dans tous ces écoles, la présence a augmenté, ainsi que les notes des élèves. Il y avait moins d’élèves qui étaient en retard, et beaucoup plus ont dit qu’ils ont eu assez de sommeil. Il y a de la vraie recherche sur cela, et il faut qu’on commence l’école à 8h40 pour que les élèves reçoivent le sommeil qu’ils ont besoin pour être sain.
La raison principale que vous voulez commencer plus tôt est que vous pouvez garder votre argent en coupant quelques autobus scolaires. Mais est-ce que l’argent est égale à la santé de 1600+ élèves ? Sans assez de sommeil, les ados ne vont pas être capable à étudier en façon efficace. Cela baissera leurs notes, et ils peuvent même échouer. Leur estime de soi peut aussi baisser, et ça peut causer beaucoup plus de problèmes. Ils peuvent devenir déprimés, et même considérer le suicide. Ils peuvent recourir à des drogues et devenir attaché. S’ils conduisent trop tôt dans le matin, il y aura des d’accidents car ils sont inexpériences et moitié endormi, et le risque est encore plus si c’est sombre dehors. Il y aura un tas de problèmes, et ne dites pas que ça ne vous affectez pas. Nous avons déjà mentionné les avantages de commencer l’école plus tard. Il faut investir dans notre éducation et avec ça, notre santé, car nous sommes le futur du monde, et si on reçoit une bonne enfance, le futur sera une place meilleure.
[10:24:08 PM] KK: boi even if you ignore all the "non responses" A CRAPLOAD OF PEOPLE ARE STILL OPPOSED TO IT AND U LIL CRAPHEADS
[10:25:41 PM] Zahra: Yup and also students who are walking are going to be so much more alert while crossing the street 30 minutes earlier
(headbang)So the board is saying if u wanna b in FI then u can't complain bc this is what the money says
LIKE 15.66% OF 1500 IS STILL 235 FAMILIES
[10:28:12 PM] KK: and like there haven't been any issues with allsaints have there? and wouldn't it better if students from both schools came to school around the same time bc if something happens to a student, it's more likely that another student will see and help them vs early in the morning or after the other school has started
THE EDUCATION AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF 1600+ STUDENTS >>>> UR MOULA AND WHAT ARE YOU EVEN GONNA USE IT ON
jeez
[10:28:22 PM] KK: guys we need a revolution here
[10:30:26 PM] KK: we should've emailed them more
[10:30:34 PM] KK: we should email them now
[10:31:04 PM] KK: torrent of angry emails, we could get students to spread the word, get their parents to email them too maybe
[10:32:32 PM] Zahra: Yeah but the board is concerned with "traffic congestion" more than the health of its students... wth
PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT NO ONE'S ACTUALLY GOING TO USE ANYWAYS
I suggest storming the board office at 8:10 and see if anyone's even there
Yeah we should try that
But we'll need to send it to their main email bc I doubt they'll check the bell time one any more
[10:36:39 PM] KK: like slow traffic is better than reckless traffic innit
jeses crashed in a car accident......... because he was forced to get up much earlier than he wanted and therefore overdosed on caffeine and died
OOHOHOHOHOHOH GOOD IDEA
yes exactly
we need to plan everything though so we don't waste a thing. we should arrange a certain date to flood it on, and make sure all of the subject lines are negative reviews. we should probably stagger the amounts of emails coming in so that the email doesn't crash or whatever. we could also do the go to the school board at 8:10 but we need to make sure nobody is actually there so in case there's a lot of people there, we won't look okay you get what I mean anyways
[10:37:08 PM] KK: also like guys come on earlier start times are gonna increase the need for caffeine and like
[10:37:19 PM] KK: THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT THE LONG TERM EFFECTS
[10:37:42 PM] KK: JUST BECAUS EYOU'RE GETTING MORE MONEY NOW DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GONNA PAY OFF WHAT YOU DID TO KIDS IN THE MOST IMPORTANT STAGE OF THEIR LIFE
[10:38:22 PM] KK: plus someone said "people are still coming in late despite the reasonable start time" and like yeah so do you think making it earlier is gonna change anything? it's very likely gonna get even worse
[10:38:42 PM] KK: even most of the teachers are against it
[10:39:17 PM] KK: we should also look at their stupid report and destroy all of their arguments
[10:43:52 PM] KK: like bro you could get some kids addicted to caffeine or even drugs and mental health issues and lack of sleep leads to depression and crap and boi you could indirectly make someone kill themselves just because they can't keep up and get enough sleep and their self esteem could decrease and you'll only teach kids to hate themselves even more and you'll be like 'oh just suck it up and go to bed earlier' like screw you 1. extracurriculars aren't going to adjust to your illogical times 2. IT'S SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN THAT TEENS HAVE A DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL CLOCK and a large majority of teens aren't getting the required amount of sleep to grow properly and like idk how to phrase this but you have to freaking invest in a better future instead of your instant gratification crap
[10:46:59 PM] Zahra: Well apparently the board doesn't think so
Has history taught us nothing
Yeah and like use the proper structure for writing an email and stuff so they see we're actually serious
Yeah but how would we find that out
DO YOU REALLY THINK THEY CARE BC IN MY EXPERIENCE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN PUBLIC EDUCATION USUALLY SAY THEY CARE BUT DONT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEMS THAT WILL COME UP ONCE ITS TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING
Yeah and then students r going to b blamed for it
And like a lot of the time students don't have control over what time they can actually go to bed bc they have to leave the house for some big event and they're going to be home at 11pm and there's nothing they can do about it
Yeah ikr the board is the only group that likes it
Yup "the results are not conclusive" WHAT PART DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND
👏👏👏👏
And seriously even with the way this are rn that stuff plays an important part in a lot of teens' lives and moving up the start times is just going to affect more people in worse ways and SERIOUSLY DO YOU PEOPLE NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL TO HELP THIS NOT BE EVEN WORSE THAN IT ALREADY IS
[10:55:14 PM] KK: we'll need to find people to back up our cause though we need like 5-10 people who know what's going on and can manage people and tell them what to do
the important part is to get people behind us bc if we send them two well-written emails, they won't listen, but a thousand angry emails wil definitely say something
get a parent who's against it and is in some way affiliated with the school board? ask them?
I'VE LOST ALL HOPE
YEAH EXACTLY LIKE STUDENTS HAVE LIVES OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL TOO JUST LIKE YOU OH WAIT YOUR ENTIRE LIFE IS JUST HEY HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I MAKE OOOOO
not conclusive does not equal no, like did you even go to science class or is that just one of those other stupid curriculum classes that you're forced to do but learn nothing from?
THEIR ENTIRE THING IS LIKE 99% OF PEOPLE WERE AGAINST IT, BUT BECAUSE insert 3 super weak short term arguments WE ARE GOING TO MOVE THE BELL TIME BACK WE'RE SO SMART NOW GIVE US YOUR MONEY LIKE SCREW YOU
[10:56:42 PM] KK: we could even arrange like, a mini assembly before school or at lunch or something because even though 75% of the people at school are knuckleheads, I'm sure all of them want a later start time. and I think the teachers might support us too if we asked.
[10:57:33 PM] KK: look I'm organizing a revolution that nobody will probably hear instead of doing my science stuff hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I hate myself but you know what I hate more than myself? the time change. absolute crap.
[10:58:33 PM] KK: we really should've joined more clubs and stuff that way we'd have more connections and we'd be able to get the message out easier
[10:59:38 PM] KK: I don't understand people who are like, 'well they said it's happening so what can I do' like boi CHANGE IS POSSIBLE YOU JUST HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ANYTHING AND IF WE GET ENOUGH SUPPORT WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS AND wow I'd be so bad at motivational speeches even though I sound like enjolras here