school should be shorter

"The school day is primarily seven hours long. Most of us have a wide range of after-school activities. Some participate in clubs while other have jobs or are on sports teams. Some participate in more than one after-school activity. By the time we are finished with the school day and their activities, there isn"t much time for them to complete homework assignments and study for exams. " If a student truly wanted to completely focus on their education, and knew that they could not finish their homework (due to time constraints) while still doing extra curricular activity, then they would not take this extra curricular activity. But I know this is not the case, as I have had communication with several students (3 in college, 2 in high school) regarding this matter. All of these students take part in at least 2 extra curricular activities, yet have no trouble completing their homework to it's full extent each night, while still studying for upcoming exams. So although it can be difficult to fit work, extra curricular activity, entertainment, family time, etc. , into the amount of time that you have after school, it almost never becomes so hard that it is impossible. " Instead, we result to quickly completing our homework and we do not receive any educational value from it. Also, we may not have time to study at all, which would result in failing grades. " If a student were to rush their homework, then it is true that the would not get much educational value from it. But from me and the aforementioned student's experiences, it is very rare that a student will be so pressed for time (for reasons that they could have prevented) that they are forced to slack off on their homework and studying. I will admit that when I slacked off on my assignments, it was never because I was forced to do so by the situation I found myself in, it was almost always due to the fact that I was simply being lazy. "Long school hours put much pressure on students. We may tend to slack off which could be harmful for their education in the long run. In classes now, the lesson usually doesn"t start until about ten minutes into the period, once the students have settled into their places. " I have yet to have ever heard of this phenomenon that the first 10 minutes of class are simply spent milling about, are you sure that this is not just an issue that affects only your school? "This is also because students feel that if they are late to class, the time would go by faster. If about ten minutes were cut from each class, the time would add up. The students would most likely go to their classes on time, because the class would overall be shorter and able for them to handle. A shorter day would leave more time for us to enjoy their lives and not have to rush through activities or assignments. We would be able to do everything at a slower and calmer pace rather than rushing. " It seems to me that you are implying that students will stop being deliberately late to class if these periods are shortened (I apologize in advance if I am wrong about this). This assertion is simply wrong, as a student who will willingly surrender their education for momentary pleasure is not likely to stop this behavior once classes are shortened. "By cutting time out of the school day, the students" education level would not be hurt. The students would be able to retain the same information whether it was taught within an hour or half an hour. " This is simply a fraudulent statement. Although a student can pay attention just as well in a half hour class as in a full hour class, they are learning half the stuff! By the logic of this statement, the best way to have schools run is to have students simply walk in and out of every room in the building, then go home, as apparently they will be able to "retain the same information. " "Many people could say that since work hours are long, that school hours should be long as well. This view is not necessarily true. We starts out in school and then work our way up to a steady job as we get older. Therefore, at one point everyone will be working long hours. Students should not have to work as long as some adults do. Also, some jobs do not require work to be done after work hours. We the students, on the other hand, have to continue working by completing their homework assignments. " I agree with you on this matter. The argument that many adults have to work long periods of time, therefore students must also work a long time is a very bad argument for why school days should be longer. I also do not recall ever making this argument. In conclusion, it is very important to the collective well-being of all people in the USA that time not be taken away from education, and therefore, shortening the school days would be a detriment to society.