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tjean5377 t1_j8n0vcj wrote

Considering that Massachusetts is the number 1 public school system in the country, and countless studies have shown better outcomes for teens to start later in attentiveness, retention of material etc, etc. this should be an easy adjustment. Switching high school and elementary schedules would be difficult for parents though. My kid starts high school next year, she is going to a voke tech, and her bus ride is about an hour. She has to get the bus at 630. at least she can sleep on the bus but its not fun.

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bryanhealey t1_j8n5ult wrote

yeah, this feels like low-hanging fruit to boost what is already regarded as one of the best attributes of this state.

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The-Shattering-Light t1_j8n7y0i wrote

It would be a good move for sure!

One of the few good things the admin at the high school my wife teaches at has done in the past few years is to move the start time back by an hour.

It’s far better for students and far better for teachers

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Seaworthiness222 t1_j8na0oz wrote

My kids bus ride is only 20 minutes and he STILL has to get there at 6:30. School starts by 7:20.

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hutch2522 t1_j8nb143 wrote

My wife's school district has already made the switch. It's happening. First start is elementary, then high school, then middle school. High school isn't started last as a compromise to get them out still early enough to have after school jobs. It's brutal on my wife (elementary principal) because she needs to be up at 5am to be in well before teachers and students, but it's still a much better approach.

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greenglasstree t1_j8u506i wrote

I don't think high schoolers should have after school jobs. Summer internships are good, but no minor should have to work during the school year.

It's not a coincidence that the demographic of kids in America who do the least house chores and have the lowest rate of working a paid part time job also have the highest graduation rate and highest rate of eventual university completion.

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[deleted] t1_j8n2cwk wrote

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Seaworthiness222 t1_j8na4wh wrote

It's high school - I imagine morning bus rides are pretty chill.

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xSaRgED t1_j8nfvpj wrote

Lmao right? Every high schooler on that bus is drifting in and out of consciousness at 0630.

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SileAnimus t1_j8uakpn wrote

They aren't. School buses aren't comfortable in the slightest. All that they end up being is repeated short 5 minute naps interrupted by waking up to try to adjust your body to not have as bad of a neck cramp.

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tjean5377 t1_j8ritqy wrote

my son did this, he said no one talked because they were all sleeping...

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julie77777 t1_j8pc7sb wrote

Grew up in mass public schools. Moved to Texas end sophomore year of high school. I was so happy to start school at almost 9am. Until getting out at 4pm and felt like my whole day was at school but in mass I would get out at 1:30-2. Also the way the teach is so different so I ended up being taught things in highschool in Texas that I was taught in middle school in mass

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LuckyGuinness17 t1_j8pln53 wrote

Cause Texas schools is stupid aF compared to Mass. I was a genius when I moved to Arizona in HS

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KawaiiCoupon t1_j8qqsgf wrote

I did two years of elementary school in Florida and when I moved back to MA for middle school I was critically behind to the point where they almost kept me back lmao. I was a great student in New England beforehand and I remember Florida schools just being incredibly easy. That made me think I was a genius, but actually I wasn’t developing because I was just doing what I already knew how to do. But I got caught up thank goodness!

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Yeti_Poet t1_j8p4ekl wrote

It costs "too much" is usually the response. High school starts early so that the same buses can then go get elementary and middle school kids. When districts study possible changes, the outcome is usually "this would be beneficial but would increase bus costs by 30% so instead we will make a small adjustment that is free and do nothing else."

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mini4x t1_j8na2l3 wrote

I don't have much to say about the time, but I went to a Voc/Tech school and had an hour bus ride.. Usually did my homework on the bus!

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DeadassBdeadassB t1_j8ozi0i wrote

I graduated from a tech school and it was the same thing. My bus picked me up at 6:40 and I was one of the later stops😂 some kids caught the bus at like 5:45 to 6 am.

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lotusblossom60 t1_j8o2jby wrote

Just retired from teaching at a voc tech school in MA. Loved it. The kids love it too.

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andrewb610 t1_j8qpe01 wrote

I had to be in home room in high school by 6:40 (class of 08).

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greenglasstree t1_j8u4pt2 wrote

If MA pushes high school start times back to 9am, the kids would get so much smarter that they would make Finnish and Singaporean teens look dumb in comparison. Which would only fuel the egoism of MA. The state's collective ego would balloon to an unstable size, upon which it would collapse under its own weight, thereby creating a massive black hole.

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[deleted] t1_j8nqbot wrote

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SouthShoreSerenade t1_j8p2t9b wrote

Being uneducated is hard, isn't it?

Why would we block this? It's significantly better for us. I ask for it every year. Use your brain for once.

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