Wednesday, August 7, 2002
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Wednesday, August 7, 2002 |
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Early to bed and early to rise ... hey! It really works By JOHN HATCHER Get out of that bed and rattle those pots and pans. It's time to rise and shine. Get up, Johnny; you have to go to school. With only a few days before principals and teachers welcome students, would you parents please give me your ear? We have a problem. It's about sleep. Our kids are not sleeping when they should at night and are falling to sleep during class or are so drowsy that their brain can't function. Our bright and gifted and prepared teachers come to class ready to impart life-shaping knowledge only to be greeted by half-opened eyes and closed down brains. Seriously! If you don't believe me, the next time you watch a Braves game when school is in session, see how many children are rooting for the home team. I see them and am aghast knowing full well that these kids have school the next day. Games can sometimes run up to 11 and 12 p.m. Then, figure in the time to ride home. We expect the best when it comes to quality of faculty. We pay for the best when it comes to equipment that furnishes our schools. We have air-conditioned classrooms so the heat will not distract from the learning process. We have audio-visuals and high-tech stuff to draw the interest of this sensate-bombarded generation. But none of it will do any good if the student is hung over from a night of just a few hours of sleep. Children need a minimum of eight hours of sleep. The younger the kid, the more sleep he or she actually requires to be a totally fit learning machine. The average high school senior requires eight hours and 15 minutes of sleep. The average middle-school student needs about nine hours of sleep. And the average first grader requires ten hours of sleep. Yet, many parents essentially are abusing their children by allowing them to hit the sack later and later at night. I have seen parents consistently to bed their elementary kids at 11 p.m. What do you think that kid's teacher has to work with? Let me call on a verse of Holy Scripture to help me make my case: "He who fathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully" (Proverbs 10:5). There's a harvest of knowledge available every school day for those children who have prepared themselves by getting enough sleep the night before. Yet, the situation has become so extreme in that students consciously make decisions to catch up on lost sleep by sleeping during class time. Of course, the culprit in many cases is the almighty television. Parents all across America hear the familiar refrain: "Mom, can't I stay up to see my favorite program just this one time?" Of course, the "just one time" is an outright lie. The kid wants to stay up every time and will most likely get his of her way. Parents, find some backbone to put your children to bed so they can get the required amount of sleep. Otherwise, you cripple the very teachers you expect to transform your child into an Einstein. Make it so your children will be strong and alert to harvest the knowledge ready and waiting the next day in class. Tell your kids you have been wrong in letting them stay up to all hours of night but that you had learned a lesson. "So, get to bed and go to sleep." River's Edge Community
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