What If Schools...

What if schools started later? This would only provide more good than harm to the students who would now be able to get more sleep. Sleep is very important in allowing students to feel more awake and energized throughout the day. Sleep provides aid to a student both mentally and physically. Getting more sleep helps to relieve stress which is very important for students who tend to get lots of homework which keeps them up late at night. Additionally, the first hour of class in the day can be sometimes very hard to get through because of the early start of school. By starting schools later, students can get more sleep and be more awake during school.

What if schools didn't make students take standardized tests? Standardized tests are held with great importance at schools and for colleges. These tests only represent a small part of a student's ability and impact students greatly if they don't do well on them. A test does not allow a student to demonstrate qualities about them that may be more important or look more unique to colleges than simply just the score of a test. Furthermore, these tests create great stress and anxiety towards students who take them which can greatly impact their mental health. Thus, standardized tests should not be held to such importance by schools.

What if schools didn't give any homework over holiday breaks? Breaks such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Summer, and others tend to feel less like a break when students receive homework from their classes to complete. Breaks are meant to provide students with the time to relax and take their mind off the stresses of school and work. However, when teachers assign students with work to complete, a proper break from school is never truly achieved since students have to make sure they are finishing all the work that is assigned.