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Tess Allen

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Being a teenager these days isn't always a piece of cake.

Our worries are seemingly endless. What with pimples, mid-terms, and that steamy wide-receiver on the football team to brood over, it's as though there aren't enough hours in a day to fit in all our worrying.

During stressful situations familiar to most teens, a decent amount of sleep is practically essential. Not to mention that a teenager's brain only starts being able to flawlessly retain information at about 10 a.m.

For these reasons, I'm strongly behind the concept of making class start later on in the morning.

For all those who are opposed to my belief, hear me out before you start furiously scribbling out your hate-letters. Teenagers need sleep. It's a little-known fact, almost as unheard of as the fact that the human body contains enough sulfur to kill all fleas on an average dog, or that the Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters.

The sad truth is, most people don't realize just how much sleep we actually need in order to function.

Allow me to provide an example: If I don't get at least eight hours of sleep on an average school night, I will resemble something of a zombie in a skirt the next day, at least until lunch-time. Sometimes, when I really haven't gotten enough sleep the night before, my entire day will be spoiled by nagging headaches and heavy eyelids. This renders the act of paying attention in class a nearly impossible feat.

During first-period, when the three-zillion grammar laws of the French language are being crammed into my head, all I can really think about is how warm and comfy my bed would feel at that precise moment, (along with maybe a few meandering thoughts of that steamy footballer).

About half of what I should be retaining sticks in my head but, mostly, all I can concentrate on is how badly I long to shut my eyes and drift into dream-land. I end up being jolted by the bell an hour later in a frenzied state of panic as I notice the lengthy notes copied by my surrounding peers during this period. I realize with a mournful groan that I was too busy thinking about sleep to have properly done my work.

This brings me to my next point: The fact that most teens on average, fall asleep sometime between 10:30 p.m. and midnight on an average school night. The bell for first period rings at approximately 8:35 a.m.. A grand majority of students take the bus to school in the morning. This requires getting up even earlier than the rest of us in order to catch the bus.

If you're the average teenage-girl, this problem is only intensified. In the frantic hour or two before school begins, certain preparations, (hair, makeup, etc.) need to be addressed. This can sometimes require getting up as early as 6:30 a.m., depending on where you live.

Now, this may not seem like that important of an issue to some folks, but try telling a teenage-girl that she can't do her hair or makeup ever again in order to be more lively in class. You will most likely receive a stab in the eye with a mascara brush or something equally as morbid. These things are important to girls in high-school.

I don't necessarily believe the school-day should be extended, either. If, say, we had to be at school for 9:30 a.m. as opposed to 8:30 a.m. and ended at around 3:30 p.m., we would still be in classes for five hours, (not including our 45-minute lunch-break). Students would also show up to class far more energized and inclined to learn. First-period wouldn't be such a drag, and the school-day would be a lot more enjoyable for both the students and the ever-patient teachers who have to put up with our early-morning grumpiness on a day-to-day basis.

Over-all, I think it would be a great idea to make the school day start a little later. In order to properly absorb the information being thrown at us, a well-rested mind is required. All students would appreciate this, and I think the teachers would, too. There would be more cheer, less grumpiness, and a heck of a lot more work ethic in the classroom. And who knows? Maybe it would make Monday mornings a little more bearable, too.

* Tess Allen is a Grade 11 student at Moncton High School.