Lack of Sleep Plaguing Kids in Class

Discussion in 'Education and Academia' started by Chicago1871, Mar 17, 2005.

  1. RoverMax

    RoverMax Member

    May 4, 2003
    NYC
    Club:
    Blackburn Rovers FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah, but you don't need to do 478978684 extra-curricular activities to get into a good college. I, myself, did only two the last three years. I used to play basketball, but the coach was a d!ck, it wasn't fun, so now I just play on my own time. Running laps for an hour wasn't something I wanted to do, so I stopped. Anyway, it makes me sick how all of these kids do all of these extra-curricular activities because they think it will look good for college. It's ********ing lame. I'm a senior and I was very active in the 2 I did (okay, well maybe I messed around in 1, but it was still something I liked doing :) ) and what I did probably looks fine. I held a leadership position in one of them. However, I didn't do these things because they "looked good for college." I did them because they were things I LIKED DOING. If you do 10 million extra curriculars, it probably looks fake. Doing what I did probably takes a lot more effort, is definitely more rewarding, and probably looks better.

    I've managed to take APs/other hard classes, do Extra-Curriculars, etc. and still have time to do what I want. The last few years, I've gotten home and had tons of time to do whatever the hell I want. I don't really do any homework at home at all and still manage to get good grades. The reason why kids don't get enough sleep is because they put themselves in that position. They think they need to do tons of unnecessary extra-curriculars. They say they do homework until 2 AM, but that's because they don't start until 12:30.

    To "get into a good college" or "get good grades," you don't need to do extra-curriculars until 8 and homework until 1. Of the 9 schools I applied to, I've heard from 6, got into 5 (it should have been 6 for 6!), and got merit scholarships from 2. Granted, most of the schools I got into aren't selective, but one of the two I got merit from isn't a bad school by any means, and I was able to do all of this without working all day. I can get out of school, chill with my friends, and then get home and usually be able to do whatever I want.

    So yeah, schools could do more to help kids get more sleep (like start school a little later), but usually it's because kids are hurting themselves by putting too much on their plates. Yes, I feel for the kids that have to work, but the people who choose to do tons of extra-curriculars after school deserve no sympathy. They made the decision to do whatever they choose to do and they can blame themselves for not getting enough sleep. I really don't feel like there is that much homework, but maybe I'm just a fast worker.

    I really wish people would just stop doing things because they are trying to "impress colleges." It's so damn fake. I just wrote my essays on whatever the hell I felt like talking about, and I think I talked enough about extra-curriculars. If a college doesn't like it, then I don't want to go there anyway. Wow, I rambled on for a while.
     
  2. metro24freak

    metro24freak New Member

    Jul 5, 2004
    philly
    The only times I've been home this weekend were for a few hours last night and to sleep. Granted all this was self imposed (played in jazz festival, flute lesson, two rehersals, and a concert) but still I don't think teachers get that we do more than go to school and that we take more classes than the one they teach. Maybe I find it harder because I'm getting up at 6 to practice getting home around 6 from sports practice, getting another hour of practicing in and then some homework. I don't have that much free time, even during the day my friends have more frees than I do cause I'm taking 2 musics and an art where they're just taking art. But still if teachers could realize that we have other things to do and would like to get 8 hours of sleep that'd be helpful.

    I think I feel most rested during exams. Sleep in, come to school at 10 and get out at noon, I do spend all afternoon studying for exams but it feels less exhausting than a regular day of school does.
     
  3. RoverMax

    RoverMax Member

    May 4, 2003
    NYC
    Club:
    Blackburn Rovers FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah, some teachers are in over their heads in how much work they give, but I've taken a lot of classes where I barely had any work. I must say that in HS, I've taken hard classes and never worked hard and still did well (although I must admit that if I decided to put in more effort I could do better.) This year, I'm in 3 APs and I don't do ********, yet I still have decent grades (well, except for AP Chem......and Calc to a lesser degree as well.)

    But yeah, you might think you are getting a lot of work, but you are making it so much harder on yourself by doing all of the things you do. Teachers are definitely part of the reason why you aren't getting enough sleep, but it sounds like you are more of the reason. It's good that you are really involved and it sounds like you are doing stuff you like, but it sounds like you are too involved. I know I could never handle a schedule like yours.
     
  4. metro24freak

    metro24freak New Member

    Jul 5, 2004
    philly
    Sugar, coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. Any of these will get me to pay attention for an hour so when I've had 6 hours of sleep. I think music's more important than school, but I wanna be a music major so most of the stuff I'm doing feels pointless and irrelevant. And it's a lie that if you play an instrument you're better at math and science, those are my two worst classes, monomials are the first thing I've understood in math since 6th grade.
     
  5. Chicago1871

    Chicago1871 Member

    Apr 21, 2001
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is in no way an acusation or inditement, but your study habits, how are they? I'm of the mind that most kids today just don't know how to study. I'm curious on you weighing in here.
     
  6. pething101

    pething101 Member

    Jul 31, 2001
    Smyrna, Ga
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Whoever feed you that myth should be shot. Getting into college is not all that hard.

    I really feel sorry for all these kids that put so much pressure on themselves because they think they have to do all this stuff to get into college. You are just putting more unneeded pressure on yourself. You should do things because you want to do them not because you need them to pad a resume.

    What college are you doing all this stuff for?
     
  7. jmeissen0

    jmeissen0 New Member

    Mar 31, 2001
    page 1078
    extracurricular activities are good if they interest you

    i liked running... i liked pushing my body to the point where i didn't know if it would break or keep going (sadly, i learned my body breaks... so i can't run anymore :()

    i liked working... it gave me money to spend on stupid stuff... i liked the jobs i had, the people i worked with

    i liked the church group i did stuff with... they knew i completely hated the religious aspect of it, but i liked what we did... so i continued to do it even after i started college...


    i think i went to mathcounts or another stupid club like that once or twice in highschool... i was sickened by everyone there... they were all there for the extracurricular activity... each time, i left within 5 minutes of the start of the meeting... my time was worth more to me than that filth

    nothing's more irritating than someone next to you telling you they are only doing something to look good for something else... ********ing do what you like...
     
  8. RoverMax

    RoverMax Member

    May 4, 2003
    NYC
    Club:
    Blackburn Rovers FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Your right, getting into college isn't hard at all, and metro24freak has her list completely wrong of what you need to get into an elite one. Extra curriculars aren't all that important and community service is meaningless. I did no community service and that definitely didn't hurt me, and I've worked the last three summers and I doubt that helped me. The most important things are good grades, SAT scores, essays, and recommendations. Extra-curriculars can help, but they aren't going to make or break it for you. If I bothered to put in more effort in HS, I could have easily gotten into an elite college. If I actually studied for my SATs (I got a 1360 without studying but the difference between the two times I took it was 100 points which was a little weird), my scores would have been pretty good. It's really not that hard to get into an elite college as long as you work hard. Even though I didn't work hard in HS, I still applied to one school that could be considered to be "elite," in 10 days I'll find out if I'm in (I doubt I will but I wanted to give it a shot.)
     
  9. needs

    needs Member

    Jan 16, 2003
    Brooklyn
    To give some sense of the relative weight of extracurriculars, the old University of Michigan admissions formula for Lit, Science & Arts (which has been changed to a non-numerical system after last year's Supreme Court decisions, but still gives a good idea of their weight in admissions circles) awarded points for "Personal Achievement" and "Leadership and Service." Each category was broken down into levels of achievement: 1 pt for state, 3 for regional, and 5 for national. "Recruited Athlete" received 20 points.

    Compare this to the GPA, which ranged from 50 at a 2.5 to 80 at a 4.0 (increased 2 points for every .1 of GPA), "School factor" (0 to 10), "Curriculum factor (-4 to 8), "Test score" (0-12), and you're left with the conclusion that extracurriculars play a very minor role in admissions, and they only become valuable in decisions when they represent achievements on the national level.

    The old chart is here (to repeat, this is not the current admissions formula):

    http://www.umich.edu/~mrev/archives/1999/summer/chart.htm
     
  10. metro24freak

    metro24freak New Member

    Jul 5, 2004
    philly
    Studying? Yeah um, I'm one of those people who thinks school is a complete waste of time. I don't like math, numbers on a page mean nothing to me, bio, I know DNA's valuable and all but if I can't see it I'm not likely to care about it, history, really interesting, as long as it still feels relevant, I actually like history so I'm less likely to complain about it, english, i like reading, don't like anaylsing the hell out of books, i feel it kills them. Spanish is the only class i'm taking that i can actually use.

    I'll study the day before a test for about half an hour, if it's an exam i'll actually put effort into it (outlines, flash cards, looking at old tests etc.). Other than that I can't do it, it's boring it feels pointless, my mind always drifts to something more intersting or useful. I'd much rather be practicing flute than studying, it feels more relevant to what i wanna do 10 years from now and i like it, my mind is a lot less likely to drift (except after an hour or so, getting rid of all that air maks concentrating a bit hard).

    I give up my weekends to go to rehersals and concerts and stuff like that and I won't complain about it until I'm doing so much i can't get my work done (which was the case this past weekend). I don't mind giving up my 3rd period for orchestra and jazz instead of an hour free everyday. I do mind having to sit through double bio and missing 20 minutes of lunch. My priorities may be a bit mixed up if i wanted to be a business major, but I wanna be a music major so I feel like school is a waste of my time.
     
  11. jmeissen0

    jmeissen0 New Member

    Mar 31, 2001
    page 1078

    i concur that community service is meaningless for getting into a school... i did it because i enjoyed it... hell, i don't even think i ever listed that stuff on an application
     
  12. quentinc

    quentinc New Member

    Jan 3, 2005
    Annapolis, MD
    First of all, I'm 15 and a sophomore in high school. And Metro24Freak has brought up plenty of grievances that people bring up about kids in school today, and I'm going to dispel each one as a myth.

    So much more homework, blah blah blah: This is stupid. Unless I have a paper to turn in, I never spend more than an hour on homework. I'm in all Honors (next year it's AP) classes, and they're not that hard (excepting Algebra II). My homework is relatively easy, and I usually end up getting bored by the whole thing, so I do it at lunch the next day. I almost never study for tests, except in Algebra II, and do fine on them.

    I scored a 183 (out of a 240) on the PSAT and have somewhere around a 90 GPA. I personally don't like inane busy work that most teachers give. I find that English is the best class because it requires a different level of thinking from all others.

    Too many extracuriculars, blah blah blah: The only real extracuricullars I do are cross-country, track, and newspaper. I don't feel the need to be in a million clubs just to get into college. I'd rather turn in an application that accurately reflects me then one that was, for all intensive purposes, fabricated to give me a better chance of getting in.

    My first semester, I have cross-country in the morning, so after-school, I'm home by 5. In the Spring, my track practice begins at 8th period, so, after 50 minutes, I'm close to being done and able to catch a bus home. None of it is really a big deal. My only weekday commitment is a two-hour bible study on Wednesday's, and that's fun anyways.

    Besides, most colleges (this is from hearsay) would rather see a student that focuses on specific extracuriculars rather than dabble in a bunch. Also, the colleges I want to go to place more emphasis on interviews and teacher reccomendations then your extracuriculars.

    As far as community service is concerned, I've heard it's more important on scholarships as opposed to the application itself.

    To respond to the original purpose of this thread. All throughout elementary school, my parents had me in bed by 8:00 or 8:30. Now, I go to bed at 10:00 just fine. There might be a few exceptions, but for the most part, I follow that. I don't feel pressured by anything, and don't see why it's a problem to be in bed so early.
     
  13. metro24freak

    metro24freak New Member

    Jul 5, 2004
    philly
    My school's been giving me 2 hours of homework minimum a night since i was in 5th grade, i've being doing extra curriculars since 5th grade, sports cause i like them, and music cause i love it. I'm not going to clubs i don't care about, i have to go to enough classes i don't care about I'm not gonna sit through some agonizing club just cause there's food and it'll look good.

    This is why i generally try and keep the whining about never being home with my muscian friends. It's really draining to get up early and get that first hour of practicing in, go to school, go to sports, go to play practice, get your homework done, and then get another hour or two in and your weekends are non-existent, rehersals on saturdays homework on sunday (and my teachers do take advantage of the, "well you had three days to do it"). Everyone always goes on about how the jocks have it so hard, i know how the jocks have it cause i am one and the musicians have it worse, we don't get to relax unless rehersal is cancelled, that and spring break, not so much winter break as there are a lot of auditions for stuff in january and february.
     
  14. quentinc

    quentinc New Member

    Jan 3, 2005
    Annapolis, MD
    Holy crap. Two hours a night in the fifth grade? I never had homework regularly until last year. Either that, or I didn't do any of it:D
     
  15. metro24freak

    metro24freak New Member

    Jul 5, 2004
    philly
    private college prep school. They take the college prep a bit too seriously.
     
  16. Metros Striker10

    Metros Striker10 New Member

    Jul 7, 2001
    Planet Earth
    Yeah...underclassman homework isn't very similar to upperclassman homework...let me tell you that.

    Also, some schools require that students earn a certain amount of community service hours in order for them to graduate.
     
  17. nsa

    nsa Member+

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Feb 22, 1999
    Notboston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Is that your school or your probation officer? ;)
     
  18. metro24freak

    metro24freak New Member

    Jul 5, 2004
    philly
    My school used to. I had 10 hours last year and ideally we have 40 hours of service to graduate. Suppoesedly we still do but I don't think anyone does.
     
  19. nsa

    nsa Member+

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Feb 22, 1999
    Notboston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    1. Shut off the TV.
    2. Close out the 43 IM windows.
    3. Shut down the computer if it is not needed for the assignment.
    4. Put a CD into the player on random select and pop on the headphones. Do not put on a talk-n-rock radio station.

    You'll have three assignments done before the end of the CD.

    I thank my lucky stars that I was a kid in Europe without access to English language TV. I got all my schoolwork done listening to Radio Luxembourg.
     
  20. Ray Luca

    Ray Luca BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Feb 2, 2005
    When my daughter was going to HS some classes started so early she have to get up around 5AM to make them. She had to carry her books all of them back and forth in a back pack so she had a lot of back pain.

    She played soccer capt of the team and had to practice after classes also was in the Westinghouse program and had to drop Westing house for soccer she chose to drop the Westing house. A lot of kids from her HS were finalist I have no doubt she would have also been one. Too many things at the same time.

    Her school was associated with brooklyn college and they always did very well.

    She finish 3 rd in class of 800 4 yr ave 98 + with 1520 sat took it only once. graduated with honors from Columbia University one of the few that I know of that made princeton and did not accept it like the city life. Also made cooper Union engeneering which is free if you can make it and did not take it either because all they did was engeering.

    Now lives in Germany hard to make money in Germany when you are not a citizen and yet she does it.
     
  21. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [head explodes]I agree with IntheNet on this one.[/cleaning brain matter off walls]

    Yes, there are a lot of parents who don't get it. I'm amazed at how many parents give their kid sugar water--I mean juice and soda--constantly. So many of my son's friends are sugared up to the gills. Even at his soccer games, the kids are drinking soda before and after. Why not water? It's not as if the kids buy the sodas--Mom and Dad have to make them available.

    Having said that, the comment about backpacks and so forth is so true. They've got our kids for seven or eight hours. I want my son to play sports, get fresh air, take part in extracirricular activities, and spend some down time with his parents. Increased homework makes that difficult.
     
  22. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    How do you feel about teachers cancelling recess in grade school because there's too much to do? Kids need fresh air and exercise--expecting a roomfull of six year olds to focus on their schoolwork for seven hours with lunch as the only break is ridiculous. When my children are older, maybe I'll feel differently--and I should add, my parents were teachers, so I'm not unsympathetic--but right now I'm pretty unhappy with the situation in our school.


    PS I jumped right into this discussion without reading the links first--I'm just so frustrated with the situation at my son's school. Having read them, I realize my comments are a little out of place.

    I won't allow TV's in bedrooms. And we do enforce an early bedtime for our son. And he doesn't drink soda. Funny thing is--we never pushed the stuff on him, and we always order water in restaurants. Water is what he prefers, because we didn't raise a sugar junkie like so many of his peers. Sad.
     
  23. Chicago1871

    Chicago1871 Member

    Apr 21, 2001
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think it's terrible. Kids do deserve time to relax and get away from work, in fact, I think adults need it just as much. Especially at the age of six, recess is a necessity.
    Bravo.
     
  24. metro24freak

    metro24freak New Member

    Jul 5, 2004
    philly
    I miss my recess. I took nap time for granted in kindergarten and now 11 years later i need it. I take it during math, which is probably why i'm not doing so well.
     
  25. olckicker

    olckicker Member

    Jan 30, 2001
    Naptime should be mandatory for high schoolers and beyond.
     

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