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Question about High Schools

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Clarissa

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A woman from church has a daughter who started high school this year. She has to be at school at 7:15 a.m. If she wants to take the school bus, she has to be outside waiting for it at 6:05 in the morning.

Can anybody explain to me why high school has to start so early? Why can’t it start at 9 a.m.? It’s not like the children are learning much there anyway. I understand that in earlier grades, school acts in the capacity of a glorified babysitter and has to start early so that parents can get to work on time. But high schoolers can be at home alone in the mornings. They don’t need their parents there, so if the parents have to leave for work earlier, that’s not a problem. Why are teenagers tortured with these ridiculously early risings?

I know another woman from my work who also has a teenager in the same high school. Her kid is very smart, and she takes either advanced placement classes or something similar. For some reason, she has to do them before the school day begins. The poor child is up at 5:00 every morning in order to be able to make it to school on time. Lack of sleep is terrible for teenagers who have growing bodies and need adequate rest. It leads to weight gain and depression. There is no practical reason that I can see to start high school classes so early.

What am I not understanding? I ask this question in good faith, and I am very grateful when people explain the realities of the American culture with which I am unfamiliar.

19 responses to “Question about High Schools”

  1. Erich Schwarz Avatar
    Erich Schwarz

    A lot of American ‘educational’ policies only make sense if you assume that the school administrators insisting on them actually hate young people — *especially* talented, creative, or charismatic young people — and want them to do badly in life.

    Sorry to be cynical, but I’ve been watching this phenomenon for 50 years now.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      I’m starting to reach the same conclusion: there is simply no other explanation for these ridiculous policies. If somebody sees an alternative explanation, please let me know.

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      1. oldcowboy3 Avatar
        oldcowboy3

        But Kid, surely we are all equal in every way manner, shape. and form ;-D

        Liked by 1 person

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    2. oldcowboy3 Avatar
      oldcowboy3

      Yes, “streaming” at high school was actually the norm until the ’70’s which to some degree helped. But unless you were to some degree a jock, one could lose friends. And I know that some students were never taught basic understanding of financial matters that we all need such as compound interest and mortgages.

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  2. methylethyl Avatar
    methylethyl

    They use the same buses for elementary/middle/high schools, in most places. This means they have to stagger the start times. You can’t put the 5yos out on the sidewalk waiting for the bus at 6am in the dark in winter, so… teenagers lose. That still doesn’t explain why they can’t go at, say 10am.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      We will never need a school bus, but still having to be at school by 7:30 in the morning is really getting to me. I’m starting obsessively to think about homeschooling. If I weren’t as unsociable as I am and such a failure at providing socialization for my child, I would seriously consider it at this point. Not just because of the weird schedule but based on the sum of factors

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      1. methylethyl Avatar
        methylethyl

        For socialization reasons alone, I would consider homeschooling through the middle-school years 😉

        In our state, kids who can test into regular (not remedial) college classes can start dual enrollment as early as 8th grade, and then take college classes for free until they graduate high school. At this point there is no academic reason for a reasonably bright kid to even go to high school. Socially? Depends on the kid I guess. We rely on church (lots of kids), family, playdates, extracurriculars, and neighbor kids to fill in the social element. That could be harder with an only child.

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          I started on the screens, and that’s really getting to me online homework platforms that we managed to avoid last year, but this year it’s become even bigger. Computer lessons during which children easily bypass all of the controls and use class time to look at deeply inappropriate memes and videos. We all know how I feel about screens. I don’t care what other people do. I’m not judging or criticizing, but I want to be left alone to do things my own way. I am not pursuing any antisocial behaviors regarding my child. All I want is to minimize screen exposure. I’m tired of explaining this and having people act like I’m a raving lunatic because of this.

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          1. methylethyl Avatar
            methylethyl

            Online homework? At her age? Ugh. I’m out of the loop, not having kids in school. We could have started college classes with my high-schooler this fall, but were slow signing up and all that was left were online classes. So we’re waiting until spring semester. Then I guess we’ll find out how much of “in person” classes is now mandatory online stuff…

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              It started in the fourth grade. The system is glitchy and stupid, but the school purchased a subscription, so now we’re doomed to chaining kids to computers to justify that bizarre decision. It’s worse at the neighborhood Catholic school, which I considered before finding out that they give children laptops in the kindergarten and require the usage. My faith in the school system is at its lowest ebb.

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              1. methylethyl Avatar
                methylethyl

                That’s… disheartening. Even pre-internet, our local Catholic school was basically the same as public school, but with tuition and a reputation as the school-of-last-resort for kids who were being threatened with suspension, expulsion, or being held back a grade at the public schools. But the idea that there doesn’t seem to be any non-internet option for grade 4 and up is… I’m sorry. There are some trends we miss out on as homeschoolers, and I’m happy to have missed that one.

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  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    “It leads to weight gain and depression.” That’s your practical reason. Alas.

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  4. Avatar
    Anonymous

    I’ve heard people explain that even though everyone knows teenagers biologically need later start times, the schools insist on earlier start times because they don’t want after school sports practices (which often take place outside and after school) to start or last into the dark, especially in winter when the sun goes down early. I don’t think this is a very good reason but that’s what I’ve hear admins say.

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  5. Occasional Reader Avatar
    Occasional Reader

    It’s mostly so the school day can end earlier, allowing teens to have time for sports, clubs, and other extra curricular activities. Many high school students are very involved and in practices/other activities until about 6 pm. And then they need to come home and finish homework (and there is far too much homework imo). So, most teens need the school day itself to end around 2:30 pm…..which means an earlier start time.

    I do think there is a better way to organize things. But the solution is not, in my perspective, to cut extra curricular activities. Sports and extra curriculars allow teens to socialize and expend their energies in fun, positive, and productive ways. But it would take a pretty big systemic overhaul to really change anything. So we continue on with the current subpar system.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      No, definitely don’t cut sports and extracurriculars. Those are good. The hours of instruction should be cut. For example, this year in fifth grade, my daughter has an additional class that is called social-emotional learning. It’s a state requirement, and it’s massively stupid. The class consists of the teacher reading aloud the book about a boy who was lonely because he had no friends and nobody invited him to any parties. The children are supposed to show that they are sad after hearing about the boy’s situation. State-mandated emotions right on cue. My daughter says, “My emotions are nobody else’s business. I want to decide what I feel. I don’t want the teacher to tell me what I should feel.” I believe she is right.

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  6. Mitch4 Avatar
    Mitch4

    It sounds as though the school may be using a schedule with shifts. My HS long ago did this: 10th graders 9:30 to 4:15, 11th graders 8:30 to 3:15, 12th graders 7:30 to 2:15. With staggered lunch times too. This didn’t fully address overcrowding but did spread out class scheduling options. Students able to take electives might have a class outside their grade-nominal shift.

    I don’t know why seniors got the early shift — maybe because they were considered tougher with age? Or the after-school activities thing?

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  7. Avatar
    Anonymous

    I know the exact school you are referencing and the class he is taking at 6 AM is AP US History. I have a family friend whose daughter took that class, and she couldn’t even tell me when the US was founded and who was George Washington. There’s no reason for students to be up n at this time.

    However, the practical reason for it being so early is extra curricular. There needs to be a 3 hour block after school for sports to practice, and no one wants their kid coming home at 10 from school.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      Yes, that’s the one! AP History.

      I completely agree that classes shouldn’t end later. My suggestion is that the overall class time be reduced because there are subjects that are useless and unnecessary. Social-emotional learning! This is what we’re waking the kids up early for.

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      1. methylethyl Avatar
        methylethyl

        The kids would certainly get more out of school if they ditched the “social emotional learning” and other idiotic waste-of-time classes, and moved sports, band practice, chess club, etc. into those time slots.

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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