Changing school hours would be very foolish

People need to get used to an early start to the day, writes Dennis Fitzgerald.

In another of the stories that looks to handle the symptoms rather than the cause, we see a suggestion that school starts later for sleepy students. Although it may amaze many, some students don’t actually want to go to school and some teachers, too.

For the students this has been made worse by their late night, internet-based activities where they are online way past the witching hour and so rise very late in the day.

From experience, teachers rise at the crack of dawn and head into work early to prepare for these students.

Having sleepy students in a class is not always caused by late nights as a boring teacher can put anyone to sleep although the general cause is the disruption of the circadian rhythm and the eventual need for sleep.

Running classes later will suit some of these students but what of the majority who keep regular hours and the parents who don’t want to drop off children later or pick them up later in the evening.

There is a need to get people back to regular hours as the caring environment of a school – where chronic lateness is a concern – will be replaced by a working environment where lateness will be met by the sack and not for the sleepy heads.

Wake up and smell the flowers and get used to an early start to the day.