Early Classes = Sleepy Teens (Duh!)
Posted by admin on October 27th, 2010 at 12:13am
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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
Surveys of American teenagers find that about half of them do not get enough sleep on school nights. They get an average of sixty to ninety minutes less than experts say they need.
One reason for this deficit is biology. Experts say teens are biologically programmed to go to sleep later and wake up later than other age groups. Yet many schools start classes as early as seven in the morning.
As a result, many students go to class feeling like sixteen-year-old Danny. He plays two sports, lacrosse and football. He is an active teen — except in the morning.
DANNY: “Getting up in the morning is pretty terrible. I’m just very out of it and tired. And then going to school I’m out of it, and through first and second period I can barely stay awake.”
Michael Breus is a clinical psychologist with a specialty in sleep disorders.
MICHAEL BREUS: “These aren’t a bunch of lazy kids — although, you know, teenagers can of course be lazy. These are children whose biological rhythms, more times than not, are off.”
Teens, he says, need to sleep eight to nine hours or even nine to ten hours a night. He says sleepy teens can experience a form of depression that could have big effects on their general well-being. It can affect not just their ability in the classroom but also on the sports field and on the road.
Michael Breus says any tired driver is dangerous, but especially a teenager with a lack of experience.
So what can schools do about sleepy students? The psychologist says one thing they can do is start classes later in the morning. He points to studies showing that students can improve by a full letter grade in their first- and second-period classes.
Eric Peterson is the head of St. George’s School in the northeastern state of Rhode Island. He wanted to see if a thirty-minute delay would make a difference. It did.
He says visits to the health center by tired students decreased by half. Late arrivals to first period fell by a third. And students reported that they were less sleepy during the day.
Eric Peterson knows that changing start times is easier at a small, private boarding school like his. But he is hopeful that other schools will find a way.
ERIC PETERSON: “In the end, schools ought to do what’s the right thing for their students, first and foremost.”
Patricia Moss, an assistant dean at St. George’s School, says students were not the only ones reporting better results.
PATRICIA MOSS: “I can say that, anecdotally, virtually all the teachers noticed immediately much more alertness in class, definitely more positive mood. Kids were happier to be there at eight-thirty than they were at eight.”
And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report. You can read, listen and comment on our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I’m Bob Doughty.
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Reporting by Julie Taboh, adapted by Lawan Davis
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Tags: class, early, Education, sleepy, teen
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19 Comments for Early Classes = Sleepy Teens (Duh!)
1. pigcanfly | October 28th, 2010 at 1:34 am
this is good measure. i think we should have full sleep about 8h each day. Teens need to sleep eight to nine hours or even nine to ten hours a night. however the oldies often have sleeplessness which is specific characteristics of the age.
if we have full sleep, we will complete everything as well as usual.
the Winter Princess is becoming, so wonderful when sink into quilted blanket and we don’t want to leave the bed. it is really hard to do.
it is nice if the schools or companies practice this method. i truth that matters will produce the desired effect .
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2. Doanbinh | October 28th, 2010 at 6:43 am
I think, result of these surveys is very good. I hope the late classes will be popular in other schools in the word in the future. The learn time can shorter but with the strong mood, teens will learn with more capacity and more memory.
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3. giang | October 28th, 2010 at 7:12 am
I agree with PIGCANFLY’s points but,I think teens should sleep no more than eight hours.because I think they should vie time to learn or to do important things for their future,I hope everyone will spend suitable for time,I wish us life will be improved
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pigcanfly Reply:
October 28th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
i think your opinion is true too.
however i think teens is stage to impact on teen not only outside but also inside so much.so full sleep is important to growing of teens because this is fast phase of life.
for this reason,why don’t we spend more an hour each night to have perfect body and do everything well when we step up onto ties?
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4. giang | October 28th, 2010 at 7:45 am
I want to make friend with all everyboby,because I want to improve my skill english and others.connect with me in my email: mapxinhxinhna@yahoo.com.vn,please.I’m very happy when who make my friend,I look forward seeing from everybody
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Ngọc Thắng Reply:
October 28th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I want to make with everybody. I want learn english. everybody can I know methods take to learn english the best. because I need for to works my. thanks everybody!
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5. ngo xuan phu | October 28th, 2010 at 7:52 am
the device in this title is good for everybody, special teen. Sometime I wake to watch Football untill 2 or 3 am of new day. So i only have 3 or 4 to sleep..Too tired to get up at 6am to go to school.In short everything become terrible on day.
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6. TRY | October 28th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
oh, all right. sleeping is very important for everybody. nobody of all people live without sleeping.we can’nt eat , drink but can’t sleep.everyday , everybody need 6-8 hours for sleeping.you know that when we sleep we will recover yourself heath . For teens , they often sleep later because they often watch TV , play game , online , study…. in hours at night . but they have to go to school early so they usualy do’nt sleep enough time . they reson why they usualy yawn or drowse in time of learning. so why do’nt you sleep enough time ? .
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7. TRY | October 28th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
oh, all right. sleeping is very important for everybody. nobody of all people live without sleeping.we can do’nt eat , drink but can’t sleep.everyday , everybody need 6-8 hours for sleeping.you know that when we sleep we will recover yourself heath . For teens , they often sleep later because they often watch TV , play game , online , study…. in hours at night . but they have to go to school early so they usualy do’nt sleep enough time . they reson why they usualy yawn or drowse in time of learning. so why do’nt you sleep enough time ? .
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8. Minh | October 29th, 2010 at 1:23 am
I have agreed with pigcanfly’s ideas. I think that if teens sleep enough, they can learn or study lessons to do best. For me, everyday, i always wake up at 6am, after that i have breakfast and go to work in my office. At noon, i have lunch at my house, and go to sleep at noon about 30-40 minutes. Total time fo me to sleep a day about 8-9 hours. I fell very well and do my work very best. Thanks this web to supply to me many knowdleges!
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9. thanh dung | October 29th, 2010 at 8:35 am
A good sleep is very good for our health and then we will have a good result working day. So , I expect that Vietnam Government will consider to start working as later as 9 am and finish at 4 pm, because the time in school for children depend on their parents working time.
The regulation in Vietnam is start working at 7.30 pm – finish at 4.30 pm. But I know almost officers working at Tax office, Planning & Investment Dept…. they be in office at 9am, out at 4 pm…. and dontt have good resutl in the working hours, mean that they dont follow the regulation and also dont work well.
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10. Đại | October 29th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Not only teenagers wanna sleep 8 to 10 hours a day but also “tynagers” (over 20 years old) too, I think that. I’m a student. My university start to study very early (6:50 am), so I have to wake up early. I feel tired and distractive in class because of staying up late. I have to work and study, I usually go to bed in midnight. If I were a minister of education, I would let school time begin 8:00 am and the end at 11:30 am. hehe
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11. sunny | October 29th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
when was a busseness i used to dont sleep or sleep a few o clock i was very tired. so i stop all and feel comfortable now
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12. Kira Nguyen | October 31st, 2010 at 2:59 am
Oh, I am a student university so I shouldnt get up early everymorning to go to school
When I was high school, everymorning my mother must wake up me at 5.00 AM. That s so difficult. I was very tired and angry.
(
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I wanna sleep so much but I must go to school. Thanks for my present, the student university’s life
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13. lung | November 4th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
yes,i think so. but i no sleep early because of have so many lessons.but this lesson i will ajust time to enough sleep time ensure healthy
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14. quynh | November 6th, 2010 at 7:42 am
In my opinion, sleepng is a important problem. If we knew arrange our learning work, we would not be lack of sleep. therefore, we need to sleep 7 or 8 hours a day. This will hepl for you have a good result in the learning. wish you success in the future.
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15. shi | November 9th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
sleep is very important. sleep is also a way to learn. if we only learn, not sleep, we will not have health to work or study. sleeping help us more strengthen. thus, sleep enough and in time is very useful for us.
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16. Alice | November 18th, 2010 at 9:29 am
In Vietnam, schools are always begin at 7.am, and you have to go to school before 6.30. I always get up at 5.30, to prepare the thing i need half a day at school , like: book, notebook, check the clothes, the red tire…. that’s all. I wish i could go to school at 7 am, so i could sleep more.
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17. pvs | August 28th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
i don’t think so. Sleep is very important for everybody. so we need sleep 8 hours a day. maybe teens can sleep more than. but the reason above is the classes open early is the cause sleep teens. i didn’t agree. because we should go to bed early and awake early too. because sciences proved when we were sleep early. this ‘s good. and i thinks classes didn’nt change time. we try to be routines, and teach babies, teens to do.
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