Late start, great start

  Most teenagers around the world can agree that sleeping in is a beautiful thing. The worst part of the day is getting up for school year after year in the early hours of the morning. Many teachers can attest to students being groggy through first and even second periods. Many feel exhausted throughout the day. And when school is over there’s no time to rest with extracurriculars, sports, jobs, homework, and family obligations. According to the CDC, about 72% of high school students in America do not get enough sleep a night which is detrimental to their development and health. But this has all been said. This is why the Mundelein High School Board of Education voted to change the bell schedule. It’s been a long time coming– Libertyville did it. Stevenson did it. Vernon Hills did it. Mundelein had one late start day a week. Finally, this year Mundelein’s bell schedule changed to a permanent late start schedule.  I think it was a fantastic choice. With school starting at 8:40 I am fully awake in my first-period class ready to learn. And although I am busy daily with after-school activities and homework I can get more and better sleep. More often than not I wake up feeling rested which was not the case in previous years. It also benefits the many clubs and organizations that meet before the school day. Rather than meeting at 7:00 am this year they meet 45 minutes later. This allows the meetings to be longer without further cutting into precious sleep time. It is a big change and like all change, it comes with growing pains. Classes are 45 minutes this year rather than 50 and if you add up those five minutes per class per week for the whole school year the lost class time adds up. However, it shouldn’t be viewed as lost class time. Those minutes are an investment in the health and productivity of students. Students who are in better health do better in school. Students who are awake do better in school. The permanent late start bell schedule was a good choice for Mundelein. My classmates and I are more engaged in class, we’re learning better, and above all else, we’re well rested and ready to take on the world.