Many students, including myself, believe that 7:10 a.m. is too early to start school. I wonder, though, is there a more compelling argument besides the statement “I’m tired.”?

Being tired is a major component of the argument, but there is scientific proof that a brain, especially the developing one of a teenager, does not function well under a foggy haze of tiredness. According to a study carried out by Scholastic, most high schools in the U.S. start around 7:20 a.m. while many teenagers go to bed around midnight or later. This can cause students to fall asleep at the wheel after an event and get into a crash. More simply, they also cannot finish homework, join a sports team, or get low marks because they did not get enough sleep, all of which is backed by this study.

Another reason school should begin later is because of the teachers. Most of my teachers are usually here by 6:45 a.m. This is after a long night of grading students’ papers and planning lessons. This could go on for hours at night as many teachers coach sports or do after-school clubs. Teachers could become groggy and short with students, downgrading everybody’s learning experience.

Lack of sleep is a major stress factor that contributes to students already-stressful lives. Students already suffer from too much stress, we have our college, grades, and sports/clubs to worry about. Why should we add on another stressful situation?

Some may say to just say go to bed early but for a teenager, this could be nearly impossible due to the way our brain functions and the amount of homework we get. The school start time should be the same as the elementary schools in our district, typically around 8:30 or 9am, that way, even if we go to bed at midnight, we can get our eight hours of sleep. A few hours won’t cut it, we want our sleep back!