Why Does School Start So Early

When the first lesson starts at 8 a.m. in most schools, many students would prefer to be in a different place – namely at home in their beds! Again and again it is requested that school starts later, for example at 9 a.m. But is it really the case that starting school early is a problem for many children and young people?

Depending on where you go to school, classes start at eight, a quarter past eight or even half past seven. Every country or state has its own tradition. Anyway, it’s all pretty early. Even research says so. If there is an exam in the first lesson, the students get worse grades – because they are not really awake yet!

In addition to the individual predisposition, the age of the children also plays a role: in pubescents, the sleep generally shifts towards. It is mainly young people who do not sleep enough: they have to get up early, but cannot fall asleep early enough in the evening to get the eight to ten hours of sleep they actually need. 

Expert Advises To Start Later

We used to be skeptical about starting school later. However, there are numerous and very clear, reputable studies that show that starting classes later would have positive facts for around 70 % of young people. An impressive amount. If almost three quarters of young people could learn more and better and were also healthier, school would start a little later – why not do that?

The reasons are primarily of a pragmatic rule: the world of work and school are coordinated, and many parents start to work at eight o’clock themselves. In addition, lessons in Europe still mostly take place in the mornings: If five to six lessons have to be completed by lunchtime, starting school later is simply not an option.

Two – Tier Society

For example, with four classes, two classes for owls and two for larks. It would be interesting to compare the performances, say the experts. It would also be good for the owls among the teachers. In any case, directors are currently not encouraged to try out such methods.