Final Paper

            Too Little Sleep

                

                There is a lack of sleep in today’s society. This is especially true for adolescents having to wake up early for school in the morning.  Teens are constantly on the move with their busy schedules (studying, sports, work, etc) which causes them to stay up much later, and  according to an article by Michael J. Breus, PhD, teens are normally known to be “biologically driven…to these sleep-in, stay-up-late schedules” (PSY). With teens sleeping so late in the evening, and a staggering 86% of schools starting too early these individuals struggle constantly trying to keep themselves awake in their classes. School start times should become later because they affect these teens so negatively. Including some special points such as they don’t get enough sleep, lower learning in classes, and how lack of sleep affects adults and the future.

                Let’s begin with some research on how are future young adults are not healthy with these early morning wake up calls, and why the student’s quality of life should be important.  As teens go through their long, critical stage of puberty they are more prone to develop sleep deficiencies that get them deeper into something called sleep debt. Sleep debt is like any other debt, but instead of owing money the person owes hours of sleep to themselves if they don’t reach the essential amount of rest. Again according to psychologist Michael J. Breus, PhD, teenagers require more sleep than adults with teenagers needing roughly 9 hours of nightly sleep, compared to the general 7-8 hours for adults. With their busy schedules, the time the teen usually goes to sleep to when they wake up does not normally reach this necessary amount, and they quickly gain debts and experience exhaustion. It may overall cause a risk to one’s own health by developing unhealthy addictions, increase in reckless driving, and possible depression. A student’s welfare suffers from school starting early, and we need to realize that there quality of life is at the utmost importance because they define the future generations. A change in schedule can make a teenager healthier with extra time to sleep-in, and improve their quality of life.

            But wait, what about how academic success is affected by a lack of sleep? A brighter future is not without its pillars of a well learned education in schools. A principal by the name of Jayne Ellspermann once said "students come ready to learn...and take on the activities of the day”, so today’s society should see the importance of academic success among our future young leaders. When schools start too early, students suffer too many complications from trying to stay focused because they are too tired to retain the information being shared with them. Psychologists state that it impacts their “learning and academic performance as well as their behavior, and mood” throughout the day (PSY). Just a slight shift to a later start time can improve lack of sleep predicaments for students, and there is proof for it. Researchers by the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center studied 197 high-school students, and how the change in time would affect their overall performance. Normally this school began less than a quarter before 8 a.m., but when they adjusted the time to start about a half hour later the results were striking. The researchers concluded a 79% decrease of students sleeping less than 7 hours, and a 16% to 57% increase in students sleeping 8 or more hours nightly. The students experienced significant improvements to their “emotional and physical health, and their overall performance” at school during the day (PSY). This proves that there is a define line between how performance in school is partly affected by the amount of time students have to rest in the morning. Later starts times provide a clear window for an increase in student academic success.

            Now what about parents, and schools? In an online article from USA Today it stated that some may have a few concerns if later start times for adolescent schools were to come into effect (TED).  Administrators are worried that a later start time would mean revising the transportation system which could be very costly on schools, and could cause problems particularly with Elementary Schools when they begin nearly at the same time. There are also some who worry that later adjusted hours would put a back-lash on after school activities. Others who believe there would be an increase in traffic on the roads, and some parents who are concerned about their younger children (not adolescent) getting home if there only means of transportation was still at school, or work. Except maybe we need to look at it all in a different perspective. Elementary schools start later than High schools, but the children in the younger schools biologically (or told to) go to bed early, and therefore wake up earlier then there teenage peers. What if instead of having nocturnal adolescents waking early, we have the early-bird younger sleepers go to school around these early times, and having even their parents following the same system? Why not, as another USA Today article put it, we “flip” that system around, and have work end earlier for their parents (TEB)? With parents needing less sleep than adolescents, and children waking in the adolescents place both would have obtained the necessary amount of hours of sleep they needed to go about their day. While teens would be able to sleep-in, they will go to school feeling more refreshed instead of suffering from a late night’s of studying for their classes. Schools wouldn’t put such a strenuous impact on transportation costs, or their routed schedules, and after school activities would only have to make slight adjustments that wouldn’t have major consequences. Then once the parents are finished with work at an earlier time, there would be an earlier rush hour so traffic isn’t as bad after school, and they can pick up their children without feeling worried of their safety if they were let out before them. An earlier release gives parents more time to spend time with their families while still providing enough money to support the home front, and having extra time to sleep as well.  A simple switch up can remove the element of a restless night of sleep for everyone, and improve efficiency without eliminating too much time. Children become teens, and teens become adults, so we need them all to feel refreshed in the morning.

            In conclusion let’s remember everyone needs a certain amount of sleep to go about their day. We all wake up in the morning, but that does not mean we all get enough rest. As a congressmen once said "Over time, sleep deprivation leads to serious consequences for academic achievement, social behavior, and the health and safety of nations you" (SFO). Teenagers stay up later, and wake up later because that’s how nature created them. They are the future generation, so if they aren’t well rested enough now than they are not at their full potential to work efficiently, and end up hurting themselves physically, and emotionally. We can change that, and more. High schools can flip their schedules with Elementary school schedules to obtain extra time for sleeping-in, and for children to still obtain there necessary amount (10-11 hours) of sleep. They (the children) usually go to bed earlier anyway. In result schools wouldn’t have to spend much at all, and after school activities would be able to work with these slight adjustments without consequence. Of course this means the little ones would be coming out of school first, so parents should have their schedules to be set out earlier so that they could coincide with their child(s). This way parents would still be making the essential amount to support there family, have extra time to rest, and have their children safe at home. While teachers would be able to teach wide awake students, and have an increase in their students’ academic knowledge and success. That all being said there is no question that we all need sleep. A lack of sleep means a lack of progress in today’s society, so with slight adjustments we can all benefit from a well-rested night’s sleep. 

Work Cited

Sources:

1.) Breus, Michael J. “Is It Time to Start School Later?” Psychology Today. Sleep Newzzz, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015 (PSY)

2.) Velkoff, Ted. “Later Start Times Cost: Opposing View.” USA Today. Fairfax County School Board, 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015 (TED)

3.) The Editorial Board. “More Sleep and a Later Opening Bell can Benefit Sleep-deprived Teens.” USA Today. 27 Aug, 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2015 (TEB)

4.) “Eight Major Obstacles to Delaying School Start Times.” National Sleep Foundation. Arlington, VA, 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. (SFE)
5.) "School Start Time and Sleep" National Sleep Foundation. Arlington, VA. 2015. Web. 4. Dec. 2015 (SFO)

Note: Anything like (SFO) is just a label for which site it’s from. It is meant to prevent confusion.

Summary of The Reading (Page 269-284)

People argue every single day, but sometimes are not aware that they are doing so. When we make arguments we have to be careful with what we say, and how we say it because not everyone is going to interpret it in the same way. A person has to really consider the audience they are presenting there argument to, and how they can relate to it. They themselves need to know how they want to appear to the other person or paper they are standing for, or going against. Always state your claim when writing a thesis, and provide facts, or experiences to back the information up. Remember that maybe the person your trying to get to understand your argument may be ignorant to what it is you're talking about, make sure to highlight on some essential background information to be better understood. This can be easy to do, or very challenging, but don't stress too much. People argue everyday, and so do you, so clearly we get the idea around it.

Reflections: Paper #3 Compared to Paper #2

Writing the analysis paper definitely felt different then writing the persuasive paper, but I found them both to be equally difficult. With the analysis paper you had to really look at the advertisements you picked, and find a defined similarity between them. To be honest, what I had chosen was not easy what so ever because it was comedy going hand in hand with insurance. It was already hard enough trying to find two advertisements that carried a common theme, but there wasn't much time to switch to something else. Fortunately with the persuasive paper I already had a clear idea of what I wanted my position to be, The need to state my argument, and back it up with sources provided some new incite for me, and my topic. The readings were very interesting, and shocking when I learned the effects of starting school later the morning could benefit adolescent students. Citing the sources weren't all that difficult, but keeping from turning the paper into a  research one was very challenging to me. experience.
However I've gotten lost endless times between both paper #2 and #3. While the readings, and assignments did give us an idea of how to put together these papers I don't believe it was enough. They both lack something I've found important in most of the final essays I've ever written; rubrics. There is absolutely nothing more frustrating then starting something without a general layout of how it should be documented. It feels like I was trying to hit the center of a target while it was constantly moving in the dark. Finding the information is one thing, but for me it won't come out right without some background information of what needs to be set into motion. Despite the confusion for me, both papers were amazing to write, and broaden my understanding on how they touch base with the reader.

In Class Lab: Analyzing an Arguement

Chloe's Paper:
1.) What is the claim?
a. That antidepressants shouldn't be used.
b. The claim is stated as the first sentence.
2.) What support does the writer offer for the claim?
a. Her reasons imply that antidepressants don't allow the natural process of cooping with a a negative situation. They are not a solution, but a sedation. Plus the prices are outrageous.
b. She provides factual information involving serotonin levels, and how they affect ones mood when treated with antidepressants. She provides a cause, and effects of this medication by also listing the possible side effects.
c. The reasons seem to provide a well detailed position with sufficient evidence.
3.) How evenhandedly does the writer present the issues? 
a. There is a counterargument involving the use of antidepressants as a solution over a therapist, but the writer provides in detail the negatives of doing such things, and backing it up with evidence.
b. All the above. The writer tries to understand the other perspectives, but counters with concise logic.
c. Yes, she seems to provide appropriate qualified arguments.
4.) What authorities or sources of outside information does the writer use?
a. To quote someone using antidepressants, and providing there counterargument.
b. The sources seem to be reliable.
c. They range from 2013 to 2015, so in my opinion yes.
5.) How does the writer address you as the reader?
a. The writer believes you'll understand the gist of what this medication tries to do, but implies some background anyway.
b. The writer does include you, or me.
c. The author believe the reader has once had depression in there life, and that as timed pasted they naturally got over it.

Corben's Paper:
1.) What is the claim?
a. He believes should have, or like virtual reality.
b. The thesis is a little tricky to understand, but I guess he implies that everyone should have virtual reality when he states "yes, everyone should want this."
2.) What support does the writer offer for the claim?
a. He states that virtual reality has many different qualities, and is always updating.
b. Most most of his facts come from a company by the name of Wired, and puts in reactions to the Google Cardboard.
c. He provides the same reasons, but he makes them credible because they come from several sources.
3.) How evenhandedly does the writer present the issues? 
a. He mentions various counterarguments, and provides in response to them all about about Google Cardboard is cheap, and worth there time.
b. He defines them, and refutes them.
c. Respectfully.
d. He brings logic to his arguments, but uses what seems to be mostly opinions to barely defend his position.
4.) What authorities or sources of outside information does the writer use?
a. The sources give support to his perspective on Google Cardboard.
b.Wired seems to be a factual enough source even if it does seem a little bias.
c. They are from 2014 to 2015, so they are pretty current.
5.) How does the writer address you as the reader?
a. He provides background information for the reader in the first few paragraphs, so they can have a general idea of what Google cardboard encompasses.
b. The beginning makes me as a reader interested in what he has to say. He wants me to know why I should appreciate Google Cardboard.
c. I believe virtual reality is the next step for the future. It's in our sights (literally), and we should jump on the bandwagon, and go purchase it.

Rough Draft: Position Paper #3 (With Word Cited)

The Student and Sleep

Rough Draft: Position Paper #3

Rise and shine! As most parents, or alarm clocks, find it difficult when they try and wake there heavily sleeping adolescents before the sun rises on the new day. Teenagers waking early for school usually spend later hours in their routine of sports, chores, studying, extracurricular activities, or doing assignments for other classes afterwards. Once they’ve completed these tasks they usually go to bed pretty late at night, and by the next few hours they have to wake up at the break of dawn. They constantly spend that next morning struggling to keep themselves elevated when there sitting down in their classes, and in more times than once might end up snoozing away during a lecture. Perhaps even causing problems with others around you, or yourself like irritating the teacher with your lack of attention. While I may be just another freshmen in college, I know what it’s like to be waking up after a long night of finishing homework, and causing frustration to my parents, or teachers (or both) trying to keep my eyes focused. If maybe schools had started at a later time then we (the students) would be able to interact more with the subject we are being taught, and maybe we’d even see less problems’ in the classroom.  In my paper I discuss why starting school later would provide more benefits to the students, teachers, and parents then sticking with the usual early bird routine. I’ll be discussing what I’ve found in the research I’ve discovered through online sources, studies, and statistics to why some people would agree with this idea, and why some might be opposed to it.  Hear all I have to say before you throw judgment at me.

            While browsing the web I came across some research on why it almost always seems to be a constant struggle to wake early in the hours of the morning. Through gathered studies from Michael J. Breus, PhD, I learned that teens are “biologically driven…to these sleep-in, stay-up-late schedules” (PSY). And as they go through the long, critical stage of puberty they are more prone to develop sleep deficiencies that get them deeper into something called sleep debt. Teenagers require more sleep than adults with teenagers needing roughly 9 hours of nightly sleep, compared to the general 7-8 hours for adults. With their busy schedules, the time the teen usually goes to sleep to when they wake up does not normally reach this necessary amount.  This impacts their learning and academic performance as well as their behavior, and mood throughout the day. It may overall cause a risk to one’s own health by developing unhealthy addictions, and possible depression. Would maybe shifting these early schedules by at least half an hour make a powerful difference? I believe so, but what about some others?

            Let’s say people argued against this case of changing the school start time. This proposal some say of school changing their times might come with a cost. In an article from USA Today online I discovered that some schools, coaches, parents, and even students have a few fears if this were to come into effect (TED). Coaches as well as students, are concerned that later starting times would cause practices, or other after school activates to end earlier while teachers are mostly concerned with suffering later after school traffic on the roads going home. Despite those reasons the major factor revolves around administrators having to spend more money on changing schedules for school buses instead of providing more money for the classrooms. Schools of all levels normally start at different intervals in the morning using the same buses, so that their individual drivers can quickly pick up, and drop off those students to their proper location. A few people in a local area would say if one school were to change their start time to happening later it would imbalance the current system. The result would be needing to hire more bus drivers, and buses to manage it which could possibly end up causing more traffic on road ways. The point is all these people find it hard to let go of the current status quo, and there reasons as said are understandable. Change is hard to make, and usually it takes some time to adjust.

            On the other hand, let’s say a normal high school student starts school around 8 a.m., but suddenly there was a 25 minute delay in the school start time instead. This happened in the state of Rhode Island when a group of researchers (by the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center) studied 197 high-school students, and how the change in time would affect the adolescents sleep habits. The results were outstanding. There was about a 79% decrease of students sleeping less than 7 hours, and a 16% to 57% increase in students sleeping 8 or more hours nightly. The students experienced significant improvements to their “emotional and physical health, and their performance” at school during the day (PSY). Yet as soon as the school shifted back to its original course the students again returned to their notorious sluggish morning habits, so starting later does seem to correlate with a more positive outcome then starting at or before eight in the morning. While yes this does provide a more reasonable idea that later beginnings provide a better welfare for the student’s health, some would still argue with the possible outcomes I mentioned before. What about the transportation problems, costs, after school activities, and the roads going home?

            According to another article on USA Today, some other districts tried something unusual, but clever. They figured that children going to their Elementary schools tend to go to bed early, and therefore awake early in the morning, but having to go to school later then there older peers. Sense teenagers going to middle, or high school usually do the opposite, people thought well why not “flip” that system around (TEB)? What if instead of having nocturnal adolescents waking early, we have the early-bird younger sleepers go to school around those early morning times? These alterations wouldn’t put such a strenuous impact on transportation costs, or their routed schedules. This system also makes it easier for parents to wake up their children without too much fretting, and provide easier morning routines for them. The time management on after school activities wouldn’t be as worrisome, and teachers would become accustomed to the slight time change in their daily routines. In fact studies done by the University of Minnesota found “educational and safety benefits” (TEB). To which, and I quote included “less tardiness, higher grade point averages in morning classes and fewer teen car crashes” (TEB).

            In conclusion let’s be reminded of the purpose of why students come to school every day.  A principal by the name of Jayne Ellspermann once said "students come ready to learn...and take on the activities of the day”, so the top priority in schools should be actively on the students well-being (TEB). If we keep leaving them with sand man eyes from too early wake up calls we’ll end up wasting time for them, the teachers, their parents, and the school board. They’ll start to develop chronic sleep deprivation which will cause them to become sleepy, moody, and unable to retain as much information in classes because they weren’t biologically created to follow these systems yet. Being a teenager is already tedious work trying to figure out oneself for who they want to be, what they want to do, and how they are going to get it done. Why make it more challenging for them especially if it causes more frustrations to their teachers if they fall asleep in the classroom, or difficult for parents to awake there hard working adolescent(s) rise from there bed? We could just as easily slowly transition into later times, or just go right for it like Rhode Island researchers did. We could flip Elementary and High School with each other like other distracts did to provide an even better solution, so why wait? The point is most teenagers already come for an average 6 hour period of education, so we should at least set it up to where they’ll pay attention to the learning processes to provide for a more informed, and well slept future.

Work Cited

Sources:

1.) Breus, Michael J. “Is It Time to Start School Later?” Psychology Today. Sleep Newzzz, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015 (PSY)

2.) Velkoff, Ted. “Later Start Times Cost: Opposing View.” USA Today. Fairfax County School Board, 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015 (TED)

3.) The Editorial Board. “More Sleep and a Later Opening Bell can Benefit Sleep-deprived Teens.” USA Today. (insert), 27 Aug, 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2015 (TEB)

4.)“Eight Major Obstacles to Delaying School Start Times.” National Sleep Foundation. Arlington, VA, 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.