Many adult day jobs are from 9-5 each day. Each morning I get to school around 8:45 (if it’s a good day anyways), and I don’t get home until 4:20 at the very earliest. The days I have a club meeting or, god forbid, work, I’m lucky to get home before 9 p.m. Looking at those times, it’s clear that school (just school itself, not including the multitude of clubs students in the district are expected to be a part of in order to be well-rounded as per the graduate profile), is full time job. For that reason I turn green with envy when I see friends from neighboring schools leaving as early as noon or 2:30 p.m.

Schools have two options, one exemplified by Allen, the other exemplified here: have short days which consist of only core classes, and leave students the option to participate in other activities after the shorter school days or to give students long days with the ability to do activities during their elective periods. There are upsides and downsides to each path.

Many activities on campus are filled with students who simply need to fill their schedule. Additionally, having such a long day every day is not only exhausting, but also makes holding down an after-school job or doing non-school related activities nearly impossible. Additionally, the expectation that students can complete five hours of homework after coming home around 4:30 p.m. leaves students with far less than the 8-10 hours of sleep that will help maintain health. The elongated day is an immense amount of pressure for students, and that’s without considering the various clubs and sports in which many students participate.

A shorter school day would be immensely beneficial for students, not necessarily a day as short as 9 a.m. to noon, but a day that ends before four would aid students with after school jobs and give students far more time for homework. Students still have the ability to participate in clubs after school, however it’s not as tasking because said organizations are optional.

The long hours students must spend in school do the opposite of fostering a love for knowledge. Instead the long school day is the source of resentment towards learning.