Essay 47
In the article, “Should the School Day Be Longer?” the argument is about if school hours should
be lengthened or if the hours should stay the same. People think that school hours should stay the
same for multiple reasons. Some people think that school hours should be longer because it is
convenient for parents. Although it may be convenient, school hours should stay the same in length
because kids need free time from school, and schools will lose money if the hours are lengthened.
First, school hours should stay the same in length because kids need free time from school. One
reason is kids need the free time to exercise. For example, in the article, “Should the School Day Be
Longer?”, Annie Murphy Paul, whom is writing a book about the science of learning says; “Research has
demonstrated that physical activity boosts attention and motivation and reduces behavioral problems,
and may even enhance the ability to think and reason.” Schools are taking out recess and P.E. because
they want kids to learn the core subjects more, but if they do that then their brains won’t be able to
refresh itself. The brain will just be fried from all the school work that the teachers are doing. Another
reason is kids need the free time to sleep. For example, Annie says; “Sleep, for example, is when the
brain consolidates what it has learned, strengthening the connections between neurons that form when
we absorb new knowledge.” When schools give children nap time the child is becoming more aware of
the things he/her learned because he/her are “absorbing” the knowledge while sleeping. Another
reason is kids need the free time to interact with friends. Kids play sports at recess so they can play with
their friends and meet new people. For example, I would play soccer or basketball at recess to have fun
and hang out with my friends. Right after recess is when our teacher would give the class our spelling
test because that is when our brains were awake and recalling everything we learned. Kids need time
away from school work to: sleep, interact, and exercise, but kids can’t do this if the school hours are
lengthened.
Second, school hours will stay the same in length because schools will lose money if the hours
are lengthened. One reason is less people may come to the school if the hours are longer. For example,
my friend changed schools because the school prior to coming to my school went to school for a hour
longer. When kids are leaving schools, the school will lose money for less kids attending. Another
reason is the utilities bill will raise. For example, if school hours are longer then the electricity and gas
will have to be on longer. This will raise the bill by using more electricity for lighting up the class room.
Another reason how schools will lose money is by having to pay teachers and staff more. For example,
some teachers leave right after school gets out because they want to spend as much time as they can
with their family. If schools were to lengthen their hours then the teachers and staff would want to get
paid more because they aren’t getting that time to spend with their families.
In conclusion, even if it may be convenient for the parents, schools shouldn’t lengthen the
school day because kids need time to relax and be a kid. School is long enough as it is and to think that
people want too make it longer is a big joke.