Students Should Not Be Expected to Be “Morning People” by Aaliyah Sharma

 Every weekday morning, millions of students wake up before the sun even rises, not because they feel energized or ready to learn, but because school schedules force them to. The assumption that students should be alert, focused, and positive by 7:30 a.m. does not match the reality most teenagers experience. Early mornings do not simply make students tired. They make it harder to learn, pay attention, and start the day with any sense of motivation.

  Research has consistently shown that teenagers naturally have later sleep cycles. This is not laziness or lack of discipline. It is a biological shift that happens during adolescence, causing teens to fall asleep later and wake up later. Forcing teenagers into early morning classes means forcing them to work against their own bodies. Expecting high performance at dawn is like asking someone to run a race before they have even opened their eyes fully. It sets students up to struggle before the day even begins.

  The effects of early start times do not stop at tiredness. They create a domino effect that influences everything else. Students lose focus, grades can drop, and overall mood becomes worse, which affects how students behave and learn. Many students rely on caffeine just to stay awake in their first classes, even though they are still half asleep. By the time some students reach their second or third class, their brains are only beginning to function properly. It is unfair to judge a student’s effort, intelligence, or participation when the schedule itself is working against their ability to think clearly.

  Many students also experience increased stress because of early schedules. When teenagers go to sleep late due to homework, extracurriculars, or responsibilities at home, waking up early becomes even harder. The lack of rest makes school feel overwhelming and exhausting, and it reduces the time students have for activities that support mental health, such as spending time with family, exercising, or relaxing. A school day that begins too early affects students long after the first bell rings.

  If schools truly want students to perform well, they should pay attention to what the science shows. Adjusting start times even by one hour could lead to better attention, higher grades, more energy, and healthier students. Not everyone is a morning person, and school should not be designed only for those who are naturally early risers. A later start time would support the way teenagers actually function, instead of forcing them to act awake long before they really are.    

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Schools Start Too Early,” 2015.