OPINION

Just imagine, sleeping past six on a Monday morning and not having to worry about school until tomorrow. Sounds luxurious right? Students around the country have a near constant five-day school week, but is this the most effective learning schedule? Does this schedule really induce productivity and motivation? In my opinion, we should have a consistent four-day school week.

Firstly, a four-day school week would improve teens’ mental health. According to CNN news, this year’s ACT scores have been the lowest they’ve ever been since 1991. National Center for Education Statistics commissioner Peggy Carr says it’s correlated to an increase in in school violence and teens’ use of mental health services. Teens have struggled and may still be struggling with their mental health during the school year. Having seven classes a day, along with life outside of school, can be really stressful. This stress can lead to many things like teens turning to violence and self-harm. If schools want their students to be happier, improve mental health, and decrease violence, they should strongly consider a shortened school week. A poll was taken of Mrs. DeAtley’s 4th period English class and 29/30 students said they feel less stressed when they have a four-day school week. A student in this class says, “I feel I’d be less stressed because that would give us more time to relax and have more time to complete homework over like weekend like a project.” Outside of school and homework, everyone has other things going on in their lives.  Teens work jobs, play sports, and even take care of their families. With a more balanced schedule, students would have a lot less stress, thus improving their mental health.

Second, teachers and students’ motivation would increase. According to WFLA.com, a Florida news source, “the Florida Department of Education has areas that still have critical teacher shortages.” If the school week was shortened with the same pay, students thinking about a career in education at universities may be enticed to join the workforce. Another benefit would be that current teachers would be motivated and happy in their profession. On the contrary, some would say that students would lose focus and motivation, but as an honor roll student myself, I feel that taking one day off per week wouldn’t decrease my grades. In fact, I feel that they would improve them. With a five-day week, there is more to think about and therefore more to forget. If we had a shortened week, we would be able to focus more on the tasks we have at the moment. Thoughtco.com says “A four-day school week can improve student and teacher attendance. Appointments for doctors, dentists, and home maintenance services are able to be scheduled on that extra day off. Doing this naturally boost attendance for both teachers and students.” Last year in my first period, teacher attendance was so bad that we would play a game in which we guessed how many teachers were absent. It was the highlight of my morning, but it was shocking to see how many teachers consistently were absent. The whole school’s attendance and motivation would increase if our school week was shortened.

In conclusion, if we had a shortened week, teachers, students, and parents would benefit. From a decrease in after-school care expenses to an increase in-school happiness, it’s clear to see that a shortened week is very beneficial. If the school boards wanted all of us to benefit and be happier, they would shorten school weeks to make everyone’s life better.