Early middle school bell crushing DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To anyone reading this and getting anxiety because of all of the drama, it’s not that bad. I was so worried about the early start time because of reading this forum, but my son adjusted perfectly fine to the middle school schedule. We were at an ES that started at 9:20 or whatever too. He had to leave at 6:50 to get to school on time. He had a small cup of coffee with breakfast most days and that did help to wake him up. He’s in high school now and totally survived those two years of early waking up lol.

+1000. The amount of drama on this forum related to minor inconveniences never ceases to amaze.

+1. The amount of whining from parents because their poor, precious children have to wake up early for school is beyond me. It's school. You're supposed to wake up early. And guess what? The goal is that one day they will be gainfully employed adults who also have to wake up early. It's about discipline and scheduling. These are also skills that they are supposed to be learning. But instead of doing that, parents are crying to the school board that their children's biology PRECLUDES them from waking up at an early hour and attending class on time ....when really it's poor parenting. Take away the phones, set screen limits, arrange normal dinner times. What? Sports practice is late? Well, that's a self inflicted wound that you chose to sign up for. You have to decide between sports and academics.

I'm perpetually amazed at the parents on this board. Stop coddling.

I think it is a genuine complaint. Why do they start in darkness? Oh, right because it is the way schools have always done it and schools don't give a darn about working families and kids. Biut ok- label everyone else the problem.

They start in darkness bc it gets dark early here in the winter. Have a problem with it? Move to FL. We have seasonal changes unfortunately. Write to Congress about daylight savings and how much it sucks. If that doesn't work, I guess you can file a complaint with...the sun? The solar system clearly does not take your teenagers NEEDS into account! What is WRONG with the world?

OR, you could go to sleep on time and wake up early. But that would be too logical....

My kid goes to sleep at 9:30 so it is not like that is late for a 13 year old. Getting up at 6am sucks for everyone. My job doesn't require me to sign on before 9am so I am entitled to complain about the MS start. It is early because the schools can't figure out how to let MS and HS share buses (which is weird when they are within sight distance of each other).

So drive your own kid and stop complaining! You have signed your kid up for a publicly, government administrated schooling, and you are surprised that it does not cater to your needs like private? Really?! If you have a problem with the bus time, drive them yourselves. Don't like the start? Sign up for private.

This thread and the "why is lunch so bad at public school" thread perpetually amaze me. Can parents do anything themselves?

Oh I do a lot myself. We have had to pay 1000s of dollars for tutoring because FCPS can’t handle simple learning differences. Me driving my kid to school every day (which I do) doesn’t change the start time. There have been numerous studies that tweens and teens need later starts so it is not just a whiny parent. I wish we had chosen private years ago but we believed the marketing about how good FCPS was and have been burned time and time again.

How do you handle all the splinters you must get from building that cross for yourself so many times? Must be rough.

you must be a FCPS employee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It has been working for us. My 7th grader goes to bed around 9:30/10:00pm and I wake her up at 5:15am at the latest per HER request. I find it ridiculous, but she says she needs the tine to “get ready.”

Bus is at 6:30am btw.

She has been “training” herself to wake up early since last year (ES hours) and she used that time to do homework.

When she gets home around 2:30/2:40pm, she takes one hour to decompress and do whatever she wants. After that she does her chores and school work. Three days/week she has extracurriculars such as soccer practice and AoPS.

Somedays she will meet with a friend for chatting, ice cream or Starbucks at our nearby shopping center. She seems ok so far.

Well, if it works for her . . . . that settles the matter.

A 7th grader who only needs 7-8 hours of sleep per night and feels fine and can learn, play sports, etc. as normal on that sleep for days straight is not the norm. Most 12 year olds need 9-10 hours of sleep. Mine is definitely at her best at 10 hours. Although she bristled at first at the idea of a very early bedtime, after the first few days of school and being very tired, she has shifted to 8:30Pm lights out.

+1 plus if she needs Starbucks, she’s not ok.

PP said she hung out with friends at varying places afterschool on the 2 days a week she doesn't have organized activities, and one of those places is--gasp-_Starbucks --a popular hangout spot . That's not "needing Starbucks"

What are you, PP’s bodyguard and mouthpiece?

No, just someone who likes people to make a bit more rational arguments based actually on what people say before they claim their child is "not ok".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is crazy to be when FCPS decided to move high schools to a later start time that they sacrificed middle school start times to make it work. Arguably middle schoolers need more sleep than high school students. I get the logistics problems, but it sucks.

'

FCPS held several informational forums around the county when it was reaching the decision on later HS start times. Those sessions were incredibly informative:

--Doctors from Children's Hospital talked about how older teens are wired --not by choice, actually physically wired -- to not be able to fall asleep super early and get up and be functional super early. Going to bed early often means they are lying there not going to sleep, only "going to bed." Same could be said for MS students, I know, but the difference is:
--MS is only two years, HS is four, and [i]HS is when the grades truly count for things like college applications and other post-HS destinations. So giving high schoolers the most beneficial rest schedule, leading, one hopes, to better academics, gets priority.[/i] This one seemed to be the real driver. MS is over in half the time of HS and HS, bluntly, matters more.
--Most of the United States has used later HS start times than we were using here in Fairfax County, for years. FCPS was the outlier. The sessions included stats on MS and HS start times nationwide and I"m not going to dig them up right now, but FCPS was one of few school systems with those very early HS start times/buses.
--Buses. No one can make more buses and crucailly, more drivers, simply appear. Many buses have to do double runs. Someone has to be the early run.

These information sessions were well run and participatory too -- the organizers took question after question from parents. The upshot is, the solution of early MS and somewhat later HS is the best the system could do, short of somehow laying on many, many more buses, gas, drivers, etc. Not ideal for every child but better for the children in HS. This post will draw complaints from DCUM FCPS parents about buses (why can't we just buy more?) and about HS (why is MS less important?) and specific kids' needs (My MS kid is wired to be awake later and rise later too). But I'm noting that FCPS did at least get out and give parents opportunities to hear why the plan was done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To anyone reading this and getting anxiety because of all of the drama, it’s not that bad. I was so worried about the early start time because of reading this forum, but my son adjusted perfectly fine to the middle school schedule. We were at an ES that started at 9:20 or whatever too. He had to leave at 6:50 to get to school on time. He had a small cup of coffee with breakfast most days and that did help to wake him up. He’s in high school now and totally survived those two years of early waking up lol.

You allowed your middle schooler to drink coffee daily to deal with the early wake up times? What a bad habit to start! Caffeine daily isn’t good for kids not to mention the teeth staining and bad breath. Gross.

His teeth are very healthy and he’s had one cavity in his whole life. He’s almost 17 now. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a cup of coffee with breakfast. And he brushes his teeth before leaving the house, so no coffee breath.

There's zero evidence that the amount of caffeine in a daily cup of coffee is bad for teens. The only concerns would be is if it exacerbated anxiety, insomnia or digestive issues--which are the same concerns at any age.

Teens don’t need to be drinking coffee, sorry.

They’re not your kids and you don’t decide what other people’s kids “need” to be doing. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To anyone reading this and getting anxiety because of all of the drama, it’s not that bad. I was so worried about the early start time because of reading this forum, but my son adjusted perfectly fine to the middle school schedule. We were at an ES that started at 9:20 or whatever too. He had to leave at 6:50 to get to school on time. He had a small cup of coffee with breakfast most days and that did help to wake him up. He’s in high school now and totally survived those two years of early waking up lol.

+1000. The amount of drama on this forum related to minor inconveniences never ceases to amaze.

+1. The amount of whining from parents because their poor, precious children have to wake up early for school is beyond me. It's school. You're supposed to wake up early. And guess what? The goal is that one day they will be gainfully employed adults who also have to wake up early. It's about discipline and scheduling. These are also skills that they are supposed to be learning. But instead of doing that, parents are crying to the school board that their children's biology PRECLUDES them from waking up at an early hour and attending class on time ....when really it's poor parenting. Take away the phones, set screen limits, arrange normal dinner times. What? Sports practice is late? Well, that's a self inflicted wound that you chose to sign up for. You have to decide between sports and academics.

I'm perpetually amazed at the parents on this board. Stop coddling.

Screw you, my kid is far from coddled. DC works hard. But, waking up a 550 for a bus to MS - sorry, no.

Did you also walk two miles uphill in the snow to get to school?

What do you mean, “no?” That’s not up to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To anyone reading this and getting anxiety because of all of the drama, it’s not that bad. I was so worried about the early start time because of reading this forum, but my son adjusted perfectly fine to the middle school schedule. We were at an ES that started at 9:20 or whatever too. He had to leave at 6:50 to get to school on time. He had a small cup of coffee with breakfast most days and that did help to wake him up. He’s in high school now and totally survived those two years of early waking up lol.

+1000. The amount of drama on this forum related to minor inconveniences never ceases to amaze.

+1. The amount of whining from parents because their poor, precious children have to wake up early for school is beyond me. It's school. You're supposed to wake up early. And guess what? The goal is that one day they will be gainfully employed adults who also have to wake up early. It's about discipline and scheduling. These are also skills that they are supposed to be learning. But instead of doing that, parents are crying to the school board that their children's biology PRECLUDES them from waking up at an early hour and attending class on time ....when really it's poor parenting. Take away the phones, set screen limits, arrange normal dinner times. What? Sports practice is late? Well, that's a self inflicted wound that you chose to sign up for. You have to decide between sports and academics.

I'm perpetually amazed at the parents on this board. Stop coddling.

+1,000,000. The melodrama is out of control. Get actual problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To anyone reading this and getting anxiety because of all of the drama, it’s not that bad. I was so worried about the early start time because of reading this forum, but my son adjusted perfectly fine to the middle school schedule. We were at an ES that started at 9:20 or whatever too. He had to leave at 6:50 to get to school on time. He had a small cup of coffee with breakfast most days and that did help to wake him up. He’s in high school now and totally survived those two years of early waking up lol.

+1000. The amount of drama on this forum related to minor inconveniences never ceases to amaze.

+1. The amount of whining from parents because their poor, precious children have to wake up early for school is beyond me. It's school. You're supposed to wake up early. And guess what? The goal is that one day they will be gainfully employed adults who also have to wake up early. It's about discipline and scheduling. These are also skills that they are supposed to be learning. But instead of doing that, parents are crying to the school board that their children's biology PRECLUDES them from waking up at an early hour and attending class on time ....when really it's poor parenting. Take away the phones, set screen limits, arrange normal dinner times. What? Sports practice is late? Well, that's a self inflicted wound that you chose to sign up for. You have to decide between sports and academics.

I'm perpetually amazed at the parents on this board. Stop coddling.

I think it is a genuine complaint. Why do they start in darkness? Oh, right because it is the way schools have always done it and schools don't give a darn about working families and kids. Biut ok- label everyone else the problem.

They start in darkness bc it gets dark early here in the winter. Have a problem with it? Move to FL. We have seasonal changes unfortunately. Write to Congress about daylight savings and how much it sucks. If that doesn't work, I guess you can file a complaint with...the sun? The solar system clearly does not take your teenagers NEEDS into account! What is WRONG with the world?

OR, you could go to sleep on time and wake up early. But that would be too logical....

My kid goes to sleep at 9:30 so it is not like that is late for a 13 year old. Getting up at 6am sucks for everyone. My job doesn't require me to sign on before 9am so I am entitled to complain about the MS start. It is early because the schools can't figure out how to let MS and HS share buses (which is weird when they are within sight distance of each other).

Yes, you’re “entitled” to waste your breath and your keystrokes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is crazy to be when FCPS decided to move high schools to a later start time that they sacrificed middle school start times to make it work. Arguably middle schoolers need more sleep than high school students. I get the logistics problems, but it sucks.

'

FCPS held several informational forums around the county when it was reaching the decision on later HS start times. Those sessions were incredibly informative:

--Doctors from Children's Hospital talked about how older teens are wired --not by choice, actually physically wired -- to not be able to fall asleep super early and get up and be functional super early. Going to bed early often means they are lying there not going to sleep, only "going to bed." Same could be said for MS students, I know, but the difference is:
--MS is only two years, HS is four, and [i]HS is when the grades truly count for things like college applications and other post-HS destinations. So giving high schoolers the most beneficial rest schedule, leading, one hopes, to better academics, gets priority.[/i] This one seemed to be the real driver. MS is over in half the time of HS and HS, bluntly, matters more.
--Most of the United States has used later HS start times than we were using here in Fairfax County, for years. FCPS was the outlier. The sessions included stats on MS and HS start times nationwide and I"m not going to dig them up right now, but FCPS was one of few school systems with those very early HS start times/buses.
--Buses. No one can make more buses and crucailly, more drivers, simply appear. Many buses have to do double runs. Someone has to be the early run.

These information sessions were well run and participatory too -- the organizers took question after question from parents. The upshot is, the solution of early MS and somewhat later HS is the best the system could do, short of somehow laying on many, many more buses, gas, drivers, etc. Not ideal for every child but better for the children in HS. This post will draw complaints from DCUM FCPS parents about buses (why can't we just buy more?) and about HS (why is MS less important?) and specific kids' needs (My MS kid is wired to be awake later and rise later too). But I'm noting that FCPS did at least get out and give parents opportunities to hear why the plan was done.

With that being said, no one is batting an eye that young children aren’t getting home till 5PM. We have a section of our school that should not be in boundary and their bus is always late. There is an ES closer to them but the boundary has them attending our school. So we have 5 year olds getting home at 5 that go to bed a few hours later. This is why the county needs to do a holistic boundary study and change bus protocols. I would LOVE to see the following data: how many homes have a closer school than the one they are bound to go to and how many late ES busses are continuously late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is crazy to be when FCPS decided to move high schools to a later start time that they sacrificed middle school start times to make it work. Arguably middle schoolers need more sleep than high school students. I get the logistics problems, but it sucks.

'

FCPS held several informational forums around the county when it was reaching the decision on later HS start times. Those sessions were incredibly informative:

--Doctors from Children's Hospital talked about how older teens are wired --not by choice, actually physically wired -- to not be able to fall asleep super early and get up and be functional super early. Going to bed early often means they are lying there not going to sleep, only "going to bed." Same could be said for MS students, I know, but the difference is:
--MS is only two years, HS is four, and [i]HS is when the grades truly count for things like college applications and other post-HS destinations. So giving high schoolers the most beneficial rest schedule, leading, one hopes, to better academics, gets priority.[/i] This one seemed to be the real driver. MS is over in half the time of HS and HS, bluntly, matters more.
--Most of the United States has used later HS start times than we were using here in Fairfax County, for years. FCPS was the outlier. The sessions included stats on MS and HS start times nationwide and I"m not going to dig them up right now, but FCPS was one of few school systems with those very early HS start times/buses.
--Buses. No one can make more buses and crucailly, more drivers, simply appear. Many buses have to do double runs. Someone has to be the early run.

These information sessions were well run and participatory too -- the organizers took question after question from parents. The upshot is, the solution of early MS and somewhat later HS is the best the system could do, short of somehow laying on many, many more buses, gas, drivers, etc. Not ideal for every child but better for the children in HS. This post will draw complaints from DCUM FCPS parents about buses (why can't we just buy more?) and about HS (why is MS less important?) and specific kids' needs (My MS kid is wired to be awake later and rise later too). But I'm noting that FCPS did at least get out and give parents opportunities to hear why the plan was done.

I agree with this and that’s what I keep telling myself. MS is low stakes and grades won’t count. I think more rest in HS is better. It still sucks for MS though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To anyone reading this and getting anxiety because of all of the drama, it’s not that bad. I was so worried about the early start time because of reading this forum, but my son adjusted perfectly fine to the middle school schedule. We were at an ES that started at 9:20 or whatever too. He had to leave at 6:50 to get to school on time. He had a small cup of coffee with breakfast most days and that did help to wake him up. He’s in high school now and totally survived those two years of early waking up lol.

+1000. The amount of drama on this forum related to minor inconveniences never ceases to amaze.

+1. The amount of whining from parents because their poor, precious children have to wake up early for school is beyond me. It's school. You're supposed to wake up early. And guess what? The goal is that one day they will be gainfully employed adults who also have to wake up early. It's about discipline and scheduling. These are also skills that they are supposed to be learning. But instead of doing that, parents are crying to the school board that their children's biology PRECLUDES them from waking up at an early hour and attending class on time ....when really it's poor parenting. Take away the phones, set screen limits, arrange normal dinner times. What? Sports practice is late? Well, that's a self inflicted wound that you chose to sign up for. You have to decide between sports and academics.

I'm perpetually amazed at the parents on this board. Stop coddling.

I think it is a genuine complaint. Why do they start in darkness? Oh, right because it is the way schools have always done it and schools don't give a darn about working families and kids. Biut ok- label everyone else the problem.

They start in darkness bc it gets dark early here in the winter. Have a problem with it? Move to FL. We have seasonal changes unfortunately. Write to Congress about daylight savings and how much it sucks. If that doesn't work, I guess you can file a complaint with...the sun? The solar system clearly does not take your teenagers NEEDS into account! What is WRONG with the world?

OR, you could go to sleep on time and wake up early. But that would be too logical....

My kid goes to sleep at 9:30 so it is not like that is late for a 13 year old. Getting up at 6am sucks for everyone. My job doesn't require me to sign on before 9am so I am entitled to complain about the MS start. It is early because the schools can't figure out how to let MS and HS share buses (which is weird when they are within sight distance of each other).

So drive your own kid and stop complaining! You have signed your kid up for a publicly, government administrated schooling, and you are surprised that it does not cater to your needs like private? Really?! If you have a problem with the bus time, drive them yourselves. Don't like the start? Sign up for private.

This thread and the "why is lunch so bad at public school" thread perpetually amaze me. Can parents do anything themselves?

Oh I do a lot myself. We have had to pay 1000s of dollars for tutoring because FCPS can’t handle simple learning differences. Me driving my kid to school every day (which I do) doesn’t change the start time. There have been numerous studies that tweens and teens need later starts so it is not just a whiny parent. I wish we had chosen private years ago but we believed the marketing about how good FCPS was and have been burned time and time again.

How do you handle all the splinters you must get from building that cross for yourself so many times? Must be rough.

you must be a FCPS employee.

If they are, they’re on point. PP is insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is crazy to be when FCPS decided to move high schools to a later start time that they sacrificed middle school start times to make it work. Arguably middle schoolers need more sleep than high school students. I get the logistics problems, but it sucks.

'

FCPS held several informational forums around the county when it was reaching the decision on later HS start times. Those sessions were incredibly informative:

--Doctors from Children's Hospital talked about how older teens are wired --not by choice, actually physically wired -- to not be able to fall asleep super early and get up and be functional super early. Going to bed early often means they are lying there not going to sleep, only "going to bed." Same could be said for MS students, I know, but the difference is:
--MS is only two years, HS is four, and [i]HS is when the grades truly count for things like college applications and other post-HS destinations. So giving high schoolers the most beneficial rest schedule, leading, one hopes, to better academics, gets priority.[/i] This one seemed to be the real driver. MS is over in half the time of HS and HS, bluntly, matters more.
--Most of the United States has used later HS start times than we were using here in Fairfax County, for years. FCPS was the outlier. The sessions included stats on MS and HS start times nationwide and I"m not going to dig them up right now, but FCPS was one of few school systems with those very early HS start times/buses.
--Buses. No one can make more buses and crucailly, more drivers, simply appear. Many buses have to do double runs. Someone has to be the early run.

These information sessions were well run and participatory too -- the organizers took question after question from parents. The upshot is, the solution of early MS and somewhat later HS is the best the system could do, short of somehow laying on many, many more buses, gas, drivers, etc. Not ideal for every child but better for the children in HS. This post will draw complaints from DCUM FCPS parents about buses (why can't we just buy more?) and about HS (why is MS less important?) and specific kids' needs (My MS kid is wired to be awake later and rise later too). But I'm noting that FCPS did at least get out and give parents opportunities to hear why the plan was done.

I agree with this and that’s what I keep telling myself. MS is low stakes and grades won’t count. I think more rest in HS is better. It still sucks for MS though.

Except there are kids taking WL and Math that does count.

[Anonymous]

Fall back coming soon. Keep old bed time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is crazy to be when FCPS decided to move high schools to a later start time that they sacrificed middle school start times to make it work. Arguably middle schoolers need more sleep than high school students. I get the logistics problems, but it sucks.

'

FCPS held several informational forums around the county when it was reaching the decision on later HS start times. Those sessions were incredibly informative:

--Doctors from Children's Hospital talked about how older teens are wired --not by choice, actually physically wired -- to not be able to fall asleep super early and get up and be functional super early. Going to bed early often means they are lying there not going to sleep, only "going to bed." Same could be said for MS students, I know, but the difference is:
--MS is only two years, HS is four, and [i]HS is when the grades truly count for things like college applications and other post-HS destinations. So giving high schoolers the most beneficial rest schedule, leading, one hopes, to better academics, gets priority.[/i] This one seemed to be the real driver. MS is over in half the time of HS and HS, bluntly, matters more.
--Most of the United States has used later HS start times than we were using here in Fairfax County, for years. FCPS was the outlier. The sessions included stats on MS and HS start times nationwide and I"m not going to dig them up right now, but FCPS was one of few school systems with those very early HS start times/buses.
--Buses. No one can make more buses and crucailly, more drivers, simply appear. Many buses have to do double runs. Someone has to be the early run.

These information sessions were well run and participatory too -- the organizers took question after question from parents. The upshot is, the solution of early MS and somewhat later HS is the best the system could do, short of somehow laying on many, many more buses, gas, drivers, etc. Not ideal for every child but better for the children in HS. This post will draw complaints from DCUM FCPS parents about buses (why can't we just buy more?) and about HS (why is MS less important?) and specific kids' needs (My MS kid is wired to be awake later and rise later too). But I'm noting that FCPS did at least get out and give parents opportunities to hear why the plan was done.

I agree with this and that’s what I keep telling myself. MS is low stakes and grades won’t count. I think more rest in HS is better. It still sucks for MS though.

Except there are kids taking WL and Math that does count.

True. We will be in that boat next year. But that’s only 2 classes. Have your kid worry about those two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fall back coming soon. Keep old bed time.

Fall back is going to suck. Luckily, for 2023 I think they are done with time changes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fall back coming soon. Keep old bed time.

Fall back is going to suck. Luckily, for 2023 I think they are done with time changes!

AH! I didn’t realize we had one more year of this. I thought it was over.

Anyway, for those of us who have BTDT, it makes no difference for middle school. The winter is a dark cold early hell and an hour either way doesn’t matter.