Little tots begin school too early in the morning
Have you wondered why 5- and 6-year-olds have to wake up at 5:30 to catch a 6:15 bus while 16-year-olds don’t wake until 7:45 to start school at 8:25? I’ve thought about it since I’ve driven my kindergartner to school and I pass the scores of Guilford County tots standing on the corner waiting for their bus. Most times, it’s dark and the little ones haven’t quite awakened.
It seems simple, although a bit revolutionary, that we need to consider a change in school times. Although there are transportation issues that would need coordination, there are considerable benefits to changing elementary schools to start when high school begins and high school to start at the current elementary school time. I can only think about one historic reason that our schedule is like this: High school students formerly drove bus routes.
If the little ones started school later, there are financial, workplace and schedule benefits for families. If the older ones started earlier (getting out earlier), there are also employment, extracurricular and educational benefits for them and their families. It appears the only losers would be after-school programs (financial) and tradition.
Christopher J. Harris
Greensboro
Comments (2)
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Our experience was the 5 and 6 year-olds were awake .. make that AWAKE at 6 am while it was all one could do to get the teenagers out of bed by 9 am.
Posted on November 2, 2008 3:13 AM
When i was 5 years old, I had to rise and shine and milk the chickens and the mules every morning. Five is the perfect age to induce metempsychosis by making a child say "under god" as they learn to pledge allegiance to a piece of fabric, an image of the fabric and to a republic which can not be seen from space. If you wait too long, a person will wise up to the scheme and wonder if the ego boundary attachment and subsequent psychosis is in their best interest. Five is not too young. They know what they are doing.
Posted on November 2, 2008 7:55 AM