First Period’s Early Start Time: A Problem without a Solution
Hundreds of Hornets crowd at the Bedford Ave bus stop after 10th period dismissal. Photo: Mia Belkin and Hala Hassan
By HALA HASSAN and MIA BELKIN
Imagine being abruptly woken up by your alarm clock at 5 a.m. every morning while having just gotten into your bed no more than five or six hours prior. This is the reality for many juniors and seniors who often leave their homes on an empty stomach with their homework unfinished.
“It’s so grueling in the morning,” junior Alexa Annunziato said. “Honestly, it feels almost deserted and it doesn't even really feel like a school environment.”
Since the addition of Midwood’s Science Annex in 2008, schedules have been programmed to fit a lot more kids in the building at the same time. This allowed the day to be shortened from 11 periods to ten, and while it did help to shorten the school day by forty-five minutes, many still find flaws with the layout of their schedules.
Now, Midwood students can start as early as 1st period (7:15 am), and end as late as 10th period (3:30pm). The three common schedules among most students are a 1-8 (7:15 a.m.-1:50 p.m.), 2-9 (8:05 a.m.-2:40 p.m.), and 3-10 (8:55 a.m.-3:30 p.m.).
Students who wake up early for their 1-8 schedule find themselves suffering academically in their earlier classes.
“I don't really go to my first period often,” junior Ryan Brown said. “I have no energy in the morning so I find myself getting to school late a lot. My grades have definitely suffered because of it.”
Mr. Alan Stack, the AP of Administration, believes that the earliness of 1st period isn't the real issue. “I think that students who struggle to come in at 7:15 will struggle to come in at any time,” he said.
If students are getting to their first periods, they probably haven’t gotten a good night’s rest, which should typically be around 8-9 hours. This ultimately results in them taking naps as soon as they get home, continuously putting off the work they need to get done.
“It's hard not getting enough sleep because I don't do as well in school, which really stresses me out,” junior Noa Goveia said. “I also don't get to see my parents until they get home from work because it's too early in the morning to say bye to them. And I only see my friends on the weekends because I'm so tired after school that I just want to go home.”
Not only do these students find a 1-8 draining, many teachers find it unreasonable as well.
“I do not think the early start time benefits students,” said mathematics teacher Mr. Jason Greenbaum. “I would say there is a strong positive correlation between the number of days they’re present and their average grade.”
History teacher Mrs. Lauren Mishan said, “Even the kids that do come, it’s hard to do group work and harder to get them motivated to do more of the fun activities, like debates. They’re completely out of it.”
So, is everything fixed with a 3-10 schedule? Not quite. Starting at 8:55 a.m. does have its perks, but ending at 3:30pm means students find themselves not having enough time to finish their assignments after school, or even to keep up with their social lives.
“I feel like by the time I'm out of school, it’s already dark and I'm just so overwhelmed with the amount of homework and other things I have to do,” sophomore Ciara Holland said.
Transportation also becomes an issue traveling home after 10th period. “It’s very busy, especially the B6,” Holland said. “The bus is always extremely crowded this time of day and I always need to wait at least 10-15 minutes before I can even get on one.”
Students who’ve had both the 1-8 and 3-10 schedule usually favor the 1-8 because of its earlier ending time.
“I think I'd prefer a 1-8, just because I didn't like getting out at 3:30,” junior Rasul Mohammad said. “It was too late for me. I got out and never found time to do anything.”
Love it or hate it, we’re probably stuck with the schedule as is. Administrators say there’s really no possible way to change the system and say, put the whole school on a 2-9.
“It’s based upon the fact that we needed to split people up,” said Mr. Stack. “We just don't have enough classroom space to fit everyone in the building at the same time.”
Guidance counselor Mrs. Jodi Millman said, “I think when coming to a large school like this, it's kind of expected that there is no way we can have everyone in the building at the same time because of room-crowding and overcrowded hallways.”
A single schedule could only be possible if we take in only 70% of the students, Mr. Stack said. “There would be huge advantages, yeah, but then the other 30% of students would not have a school." Only a further expansion of the school (a Second Annex, anyone?) could alleviate this problem.
Part of what makes the school special is its large, diverse student body.
“Midwood is Midwood because of the size and what we are able to offer with the number of students we have,” said Mr. Albert Peterson, the head of programming.
So while an 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. start for everyone might sound enticing, in this case, the cure could be worse than the disease. For now, juniors and seniors will just have to suck it up and keep setting those alarms for 5 a.m.