Student Opinion: Students Should Be at School Longer

Kyle Chan Staff Writer

Afterseeing and hearing many complaints about the lack of focus and the tendency for students to go on their phone, I believe that Mills should increase the duration of hours of school. This means that school has to start and end later during the day.

The reason why school should start much earlier than 8:30 in the morning is because waking up early enables the brain to function at its full power. There are countless studies that show how waking up early reveals better signs of mental health organization, and productivity. According to Pew Research Center, waking up early increases critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. That saying, students will be more ready and willing to learn each day as the school year goes on.

Since there are many students who sometimes get classes they don’t like or they get their alternative choice of a class, extending the school day is the perfect solution to this circumstance. By extending the end of school, this allows extra periods where students can choose their favorite classes. It widens one’s knowledge, enabling them to have lots of opportunities. It also prepares students for future jobs, as many would have broadened their skill sets.

A schedule that consists of half of the day can fix bad sleeping schedules. By eliminating the “after school” naps and any other unsound sleeping habits, students can develop and attain a strict and healthy sleeping schedule. After the school day, students are less likely to pick up any distractions due to their tiredness, leading them to sleep earlier. This cycle then creates their circadian rhythm.

Having a circadian rhythm is beneficial as it prepares students with the healthiest bodies and mindsets.

With the enclosed campus during schooltime, students will be less distracted from outside activities away from school. Studies show that students are prone to learn more in school because there are fewer distractions.The new schedule, 7:30-5:30 forces students to finish all their classwork and homework before getting home in order to maintain enough sleep throughout the week. This process eliminates any aspects of procrastination and second thoughts when working on an assignment, especially with school-athletes. Through the use of discipline and regulation, students will begin to thrive, like how diamonds are made under pressure.

There have been many reviews on Yelp about Mills that criticize the school system and how it has been neglecting the growth of students. These comments consist of parents from Mills complaining that their child is not very productive after school and how the school system fails their child. One example that stands out is the parent of Ito Lazee, who is currently a freshman, states that, “Ito promptly hops onto the video game without finishing his homework. He is currently flunking most of his classes, and is on the road to repeating a grade. Another example from the parent of Ava Ohworc (11) shares, “I know the school is still transitioning from Covid-19, but my daughter has developed really bad habits regarding the time spent on social media, rather than school work. I hope the school system can push her to become the best”. Having a fairly easy school schedule tempts students to become lazy. This is important especially when colleges look at grades in your sophomore and junior years. These are ones of the many of the abhorrent circumstances that reside within the parents of Mills High School. One might say, how will this benefit teachers, as longer days mean more teaching? With longer school days, teachers can worry less about “distracting” students. For example, teachers can avoid threatening to enforce the use of “phone pockets”. One main reason why students go on their phones during school hours is because they lack communication with their friends, often tempting them to engage in small talk on their phones. By enlarging the amount of hours during school, students can easily engage with each other without the use of phones. Another possibility is that students have to involuntarily listen in order to obtain the necessary information to complete their learning. Instead of fooling around, they are obligated to give their full attention to stay on top of their classes.

With all these facts laid out, Mills must make changes quickly in order to ensure an efficient structure where students can be pushed beyond their limits. With a longer school day, students will have an increased period of time to learn and develop their skills. The Mills administration should pursue implementing longer school schedules for all grades. That being said, we can only hope that the administration team can acknowledge this situation and to make adjustments.