Bell times predictions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bell times have worked for decades and decades. What has changed is high school workload, the increase in sport practice times, the increase in extra curriculars, and the ever obvious increase in electronics and screens. THESE are the problems and all of those things can be changed for FREE.

The homework could be decreased or given more time than one night to complete. Sports games could be shortened, practices could be 3 or 4 days a week instead of all 5. Parents could chill the F out on all the extras their kids are in including tutors and test prep classes. And phones/computers/tv could be taken away by 9-10pm.

My daughter is a swimmer. She is in the pool at 5:30am. She is in bed no later than 10pm and on really tiring days, she is snoring by 9pm. There is no messed up rhythm for her. She is active and needs sleep and not having any phone or computer in her room allows her to de-stress and fall asleep. Any teen can do it.

I don't care what the studies say. If you change the bell times, the kids in IB will still be up later working. The sports kids will be getting home later and starting homework later, and (shocker) staying up later at night. The kids on Instagram will think they have an extra hour to text/chat. It will not change. It hasn't in Fairfax after they spent over 10 million to study and implement it. Kids still complain of no time and lack of sleep. They are overworked. THAT is the problem.

Not every kid is a jock like your daughter. Some kids love -- gasp! -- reading, cooking, sewing, building robots, etc. Some kids are on the computer for hours because they are incredibly smart and writing computer code is their hobby.

Sure every teen "can" do what your daughter does, but we don't exactly need only swimmers in the world. I'd like to have doctors, computer scientists, authors, etc pursuing their passions from a young age, too, thank you.

This makes no sense. Non athletic kids can go to sleep and wake up earlier too. And if they are not into athletics, that gives them more time to do homework and more time to sleep in, in the morning. So what is your point? Any teen can do it. Go to bed earlier and get more sleep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The bell times have worked for decades and decades. What has changed is high school workload, the increase in sport practice times, the increase in extra curriculars, and the ever obvious increase in electronics and screens. THESE are the problems and all of those things can be changed for FREE.

The homework could be decreased or given more time than one night to complete. Sports games could be shortened, practices could be 3 or 4 days a week instead of all 5. Parents could chill the F out on all the extras their kids are in including tutors and test prep classes. And phones/computers/tv could be taken away by 9-10pm.

My daughter is a swimmer. She is in the pool at 5:30am. She is in bed no later than 10pm and on really tiring days, she is snoring by 9pm. There is no messed up rhythm for her. She is active and needs sleep and not having any phone or computer in her room allows her to de-stress and fall asleep. Any teen can do it.

I don't care what the studies say. If you change the bell times, the kids in IB will still be up later working. The sports kids will be getting home later and starting homework later, and (shocker) staying up later at night. The kids on Instagram will think they have an extra hour to text/chat. It will not change. It hasn't in Fairfax after they spent over 10 million to study and implement it. Kids still complain of no time and lack of sleep. They are overworked. THAT is the problem.

+1

Well said. If a student wants that extra 20 minutes sleep, go to bed 20 minutes early.

[Anonymous]

63% of MCPS are against any bell changes
23% are for bell changes
14% undecided

Of the 63% that are against, over 80% said they believe it would not change the sleeping habits of high school students.

AGREED!!!

[Anonymous]

This discussion of "if my kid can do it than so can yours" is interesting to me. I have three kids, and the first two handled high school early times just fine. One did extremely well on the schedule -- as others have said he just went to bed earlier. He was a strong capable student and an athlete. No problem for him most days to be at school ready to start his day at 7:25. My third child is altogether different. She tries very hard to fall asleep at night but generally cannot do so until at least 11 and sometimes later. She is dead tired most mornings and really doesn't start to be alert and function well until around 8:30 or 9. The best mornings for us are those delayed openings. She's like an entirely different kid when she can sleep until 8. Seeing the contrast in my children has taught me to be less smug. Just because your kid can handle something doesn't mean every child (or even the majority) are benefitted by the early bell times.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know what time they will decide the bell times issue today?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MCPS Bell Times page has been updated based on public feedback through Feb. 2. Report is online at

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/info/belltimesworkgroup/2015BellTimesOptionsFeedback.pdf

We are in a elementary school in Rockville and no one ever made a mention to this to us. Not the principal, not the teachers, not the PTA. My guess is that all the high schools made a big deal out of this and had their parents and students putting in their feedback. I wish I was given a chance.

My child is in ES in Rockville. I wrote the BOE and have been paying attention to these discussions since 2013. We have got to get the sleep problem for teens solved. I'm willing to sacrifice for the ES years to fix it for HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what time they will decide the bell times issue today?

It's being discussed right now. You can watch on Comcast 34 or online. Fios 36.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:63% of MCPS are against any bell changes
23% are for bell changes
14% undecided

Of the 63% that are against, over 80% said they believe it would not change the sleeping habits of high school students.

AGREED!!!

OK - right - so teens will not change their sleeping habits - they will continue to stay up late - great - lets change the bell times so they don't have to get up so early. I am confused by the PP's above logic as a basis for NOT changing the bell times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My child is in ES in Rockville. I wrote the BOE and have been paying attention to these discussions since 2013. We have got to get the sleep problem for teens solved. I'm willing to sacrifice for the ES years to fix it for HS.

I'm not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what time they will decide the bell times issue today?

It's being discussed right now. You can watch on Comcast 34 or online. Fios 36.

This is the link for the streaming...

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/live.aspx

It appears they're on a break until 1:15

[Anonymous]

They voted for the 20 minutes later option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They voted for the 20 minutes later option.

That is all schools? And release 20 min later?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They voted for the 20 minutes later option.

Oh, good grief. Because high school students will be significantly more awake at 7:45 am than at 7:25 am? Not even the most ardent "high school must start later because biology!" people believe that.

[Anonymous]

Think it was 10 min later for elem and 20 min later release for them, 20 min for middle and high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Think it was 10 min later for elem and 20 min later release for them, 20 min for middle and high school.

No. Everybody 20 minutes later.