HALF DAY FRIDAYS: IS IT A GOOD THING?

HALF DAY FRIDAYS

Is it a good thing?

Fernanda Tamayo

Some high schools have half days here in Chicago. Research shows that students have less stress and have more time to focus on school if they have a half day instead of a full day. But it’s not only for students. This can also help out teachers because they have more time to make plans for lessons. It can also benefit the parents who have to drop off their kids to school or pick them up.

In the article “High School Pressure: Why students need shorter day” Rachel O. States, “long school hours put great pressure on students. They may tend to slack off which could be harmful for their education in the long run.” The amount of hours of school can really mess up students and it can be really stressful to sit and think for eight hours with only a few breaks in between.

Rachel O. stated “a shortened day would leave more time for us to enjoy life and not have to rush through activities for assignments. We would be able to do everything at a slower and calmer pace rather than rushing.” This helps out students who don’t have enough time to turn work in on the day it’s assigned. If they had more time for themselves and not have to think about school, students will enjoy it rather than always talk bad about it.

I interviewed one of the students here at AHHS. She said, “having these half days makes me have less stress over school and let’s me focus on the work I have to get done rather than space out. It also allows me to do a little work after school like babysitting.” O

ther students or high schools might not fully agree with this. They might say having a full day of school helps them with everything like school work they’d like to finish. They say that having half days makes people slack off.

Huffington Post columnist Rachel O. stated “fewer school hours….would permit students to have enough time to study, complete school assignments, participate in after-school activities and be able to get to bed by a decent hour.” Even though there are some complaints, having these half days helps students. They look forward to finishing the week strong and turning in every missing assignment. This helps students feel less stressed during the whole school year.

Students celebrating it's friday.

Photo taken by Ms.Meyers.