Have you ever wondered what your kids’ day is like at school? Why they come home burnt out and exhausted? Because I will tell you. It all comes down to the length of our school days. That’s right, the length kids go to school matters. It plays a big role in mental health and in learning abilities.
You may think the longer someone is in school the more they are learning. I’m sorry to break it to you but, there not! Most middle schoolers play games during class. And the no-phone rule hasn’t stopped it. Kids are so bored they find ways to play games and watch youtube on the computers. Kids are no longer checked in to what teachers are saying.
You could say that is a personal problem, that those kids need to grow up. And yes, part of that has some truth but, they are in school for so long that they can’t focus, so they turn to screens. With having such long days, by the end their brain is exhausted and well, gives up.
Walden University found in a study that, “it’s likely that longer school days won’t be an effective way to raise achievement.” So there you have it. Your kids aren’t learning more the longer they sit in a classroom. In fact sometimes it seems they are learning less!
So why are we still doing this? Because, number one, parents need babysitters! They can’t have their kids at home when they are at work. And this is a free option and plus, they might learn something every once in a while! And second, we are being convinced that this is the right way. That this is what we need, but it is not.
We are not doing any good by shutting kids in building while their brains are slowly decreasing in intelligence. We are harming kids. When you put a bunch of stir crazy kids in the same room, all you get is chaos. They are not learning, they are goofing off. They are doing everything they can to not learn.
But, not all of our education is a waste, some of it is really good! Usually a solid thirty minutes goes to learning new beneficial things. So then what happens with the other forty five minutes left of class? Because the schools want parents to think their kids are learning more than we actually are.
That actually puts a lot of stress on teachers. They feel the need to teach for that long. But it’s hard to teach a bunch of burnt out tired kids. And to be honest, teachers get burnt out after teaching so long so after a while kids aren’t getting quality lessons.
Having shorter days will help kids find time for more after school things. Kids need to have time to grow other strengths and become well-rounded people. Kids come home ready to collapse. They need time to be active, to exercise their mind some other way. When students sit in a chair for seven hours they get stiff. If we give them more time at home they can become well balanced people.
Students need time with family and loved ones, whoever that may be. So when school ends earlier, kids have time for everything, including time with the people they love most. The home is a place where they can recharge and refresh. Step away from the stale environment of school.
So why don’t we shorten school days! We still get the same amount of learning. And we learn better when we get the core learning done and get rid of all of the useless fluff. Kids can become well rounded human beings and excel in school way better than they ever could. So let’s stop putting kids through seven hours of misery and help them become better and more than just school.
