Persuasive Essay: Early to bed, Early to rise?

Oh no. It can’t be 6:00 a.m. already! It seems like you only fell asleep a few minutes ago (and maybe it’s because you actually did)! You hit the snooze button as you groan, roll over, and go back to sleep. Has this ever happened to you? There’s nothing worse in the morning than knowing that your little brother or sister gets to sleep in an hour later than you. I believe that secondary schools should start school later than the elementary schools. Teens are more awake and alert later in the day. It can be dangerous for teens to be low on sleep. Studies show that teen sleep patterns are different from children and adults.

In my classes, I have noticed that my peers and I are more alert later in the day. We can concentrate better, learn things easier, we’re much happier, and, to be honest, we look a lot better, too! In the morning, we’re all bleary-eyed and half asleep. In the National Sleep Foundation’s 2006 poll, over ¼ of high school students fall asleep in class, which has been linked to poorer grades. Let’s face it—teenagers are useless in the morning, and sometimes even dangerous to be around!

Parents may argue that having elementary students going to school in the dark would be unsafe, but, in reality, few kids at that age go to school on their own. Parents usually drive or walk with their kids, so safety wouldn’t be an issue. Most teenagers either drive themselves or their friends to school, or walk alone. I think sleep-deprived teens can actually be more dangerous in the dark, early hours. Teens that drive drowsy have been responsible for many accidents. This problem is made even worse when these same teens are driving themselves to school. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration estimates that over 100,000 accidents are caused every year by drivers who are tired. About 40,000 become injured, and 1,500 people are killed. Sleepy teens can cause many problems, but it is understandable when you know the science behind it.

Studies show that teens need about 8 ½ to 9 hours of sleep each night to function properly. There is a hormone in the brain called melatonin that is produced at night. It is produced later for teens, which keeps them awake longer. Children and adults’ brains produce melatonin earlier, so they can get to sleep sooner than teens do. It is unfair that kids would be able to sleep later than we do because they are actually more capable of waking up early.

Many a teenager has had to wake up in the early hours of the morning to get to school by 7:30 or 8:00, while they see their younger siblings still sleeping soundly. This is what I experience every day, because I share a room with my younger sister. Every morning, as I get ready for school, I see her sleeping soundly and I become annoyed and jealous when I realize that she doesn’t have to get up for another hour. This feels even more unfair when she often gets to bed sooner than me. Secondary schools seem to give much larger projects and harder homework than elementary schools do. Teens are at a stage where they have a lot more to deal with, and yet they always seem to get less sleep.

Imagine, if you will, a teen staying up late to finish a persuasive essay that is due the next day. They don’t get to sleep until one or two in the morning. If they have to get up at six a.m. the next day to get ready for school, that means they’re having to work on about four or five hours of sleep! (That’s hardly half the time they need to function properly!) Imagine this going on for a week or more. Pretty soon their sleep schedule is completely messed up, and they end up sleeping a little later each morning because they just can’t wake up. They start getting to school late, if they don’t get sick and miss it completely. They may even start falling asleep during class. This, as I mentioned before, can lead to poor grades, and, quite often, very angry parents and teachers.

Many may argue that this was probably the teen’s fault in the first place, that they should have worked on their homework earlier instead of getting on Facebook or watching Psych. This is very true. Way too many teens waste their time during the day, trying to do anything but their homework, and then complain that they didn’t have enough time to finish the essay. This is very typical, and can hardly be avoided. Parents can always delete Facebook accounts or get rid of the TV, but teens will almost always find some other way to avoid homework. Some may even resort to staring blankly at a wall instead of working.

Another argument may be that teens need to get out earlier from school so they can go to work. This isn’t a big issue because many jobs available to teens don’t even start until around five p.m. Most employers know when high school gets out, so they don’t put them on shifts that would require them to leave school early.

I think that the school schedules should be swapped to accommodate the needs and habits of each age group. If high school students need more sleep, and elementary students can get up earlier, why not have them switch times? It makes a lot more sense. So why haven’t we made this change? A teen who is low on sleep is dangerous to more than themselves. Teens are pretty much useless early in the morning, and we can focus better later in the day. I compare this issue of the messed-up schedules to a bass singing soprano in his falsetto: it’s possible and it occurs often, but it shouldn’t happen and is unnatural! So, students and parents, let us rally to make this change for the benefit of all!

It's corny, I know. I could [obviously] use your help with this. I have read and reread it a million times, but there are many things that I just can't seem to get right! Please read and comment!!