Reply to healthier high schools from a teacher perspective

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]notes to our principal

Start School Later: Consider delaying the start of the school day to after 8:30 AM. Research shows that later start times can significantly benefit students who are currently showing signs of exhaustion. This change is not only age-appropriate but has also been linked to improved student performance and well-being.

Cell Phone Use and Mental Health: There is a growing concern about cell phone addiction and its detrimental effects on students in the classroom. With mental health issues at unprecedented levels among youth, it is crucial to address and manage cell phone usage to foster a healthier learning environment and care for our kids addictions.[/quote]

Notes to you:

[b]Later Start time:  No, some parents have to drive their kids and a later start time is an issue with work.  Its also an issue with outside activities.  Those activities enhance kids physical and mental well being. Instead be a parent and enhance a bed time.[/b]

Cell phone use:  As a teacher, start teaching again.  Don't do few google slides and call it a day.  Use a real textbook, teach a lesson, review the homework from the previous day and hold kids accountable.  Kids are partly on cell phones because they are bored.  Your class is boring and not stimulating.  Fix it.  (and thank you to the teachers who do teach and put in an effort - referring to two we had last year who were life changing).[/quote]

For high school students? You can drop off a high school student early and as long as the library or common areas are open they can study or socialize until school starts -- they aren't in preschool. Also by high school most kids can get to school on their own.

Your comment about the importance of activities would be more convincing if there was any indication that their importance should be balanced against getting proper rest so that you can be functional in school. Perhaps if kids weren't in so many activities they would not be so overtired and an early start time wouldn't matter as much. But kids are doing tons of activities on top of school and this is why they are absolutely exhausted. A later start time would be more likely to get kids needed rest than telling parents to "enforce a bedtime" (again: for high school students?) because no matter when school gets out extra-curriculars will find a way to keep kids at practice or rehearsal or whatever until 8pm or even later. But far fewer activities will try to force kids into morning practices so pushing school start until 8:30 or later gives kids a chanc eof actually getting some extra sleep.

As others have pointed out it doesn't matter how engaging classroom material is -- it can't compete with a freaking phone (or a classroom full of them). Phones are designed to distract. Opposing policies that eliminate the option of using phones in class is just bizarre.[/quote]

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