"Tired teenagers' lessons to start after lunch"

[Nick Armstrong]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-27357031

How's your body clock?

Anyone else in favour of teenagers (or anyone else for that matter) starting work at 1.30pm?

Sounds pretty darn civilised, if you ask me...

[mercia]

they had the headmaster of said school on the 5pm news saying he never atttended morning lectures at university because of this 'problem'. The other guest on the programme said she thought the idea was an April Fool's joke.

just trying to think of the practicalities - when do they do all those extra-curricular activities ? I have visions of them having to play floodlit cricket at midnight, then going to bed at 2am. I wonder what the teachers (who presumably don't have this sleep problem) think of the idea. I guess it will just be an experiment, I'd hate to start my day with lunch.

[antongould]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-27357031



How's your body clock?

Anyone else in favour of teenagers (or anyone else for that matter) starting work at 1.30pm?

Sounds pretty darn civilised, if you ask me...

Seems to me you've been doing it for years on the odd occasion you catch Essential Classics we get a proud post.....

[MrGongGong]

A University I used to visit had a postgraduate course in Irish Traditional Music.
Seminars and lectures in the afternoon and sessions in the pub every evening !

[french frank]

Haven't yet read this story, but there was a story some while back about research suggesting that young people who 'couldn't get up in the morning' weren't just lazy teenagers: it was to do with their age and body clocks (is this Circadian Rhythms?)

I'd say that education would involve training young people for adult life, not trying to keep them teenagers for ever. But I know nothing.

This story from 2004.

[Thropplenoggin]

Seems to me you've been doing it for years on the odd occasion you catch Essential Classics we get a proud post.....

Spends his mornings watching some flunky polish his Maserati*, I expect.

*not a euphemism, your honour.

[Nick Armstrong]

Seems to me you've been doing it for years on the odd occasion you catch Essential Classics we get a proud post.....

I knew something would arrive from a north-easterly direction...!

Spends his mornings watching some flunky polish his Maserati*, I expect.

*not a euphemism, your honour.

Quite - while Maisie vacuums my Hispano-Suiza*



*that is a euphemism, by contrast.

[Nick Armstrong]

I'd say that education would involve training young people for adult life, not trying to keep them teenagers for ever. But I know nothing.

That's the very thought that stuck me... although as anton will testify, some of us manage...

[Don Petter]

That's the very thought that stuck me... although as anton will testify, some of us manage...

Stick me - I think you're right! I'm a stranded teenager at heart.

[MrGongGong]

I'd say that education would involve training young people for adult life, not trying to keep them teenagers for ever. But I know nothing.

Why would one assume that "adult life" involves getting up early ?
Actually, I usually do get up very early these days but know plenty of others (mostly gigging musicians) who don't get up before mid day.

[gurnemanz]

I wonder what the teachers (who presumably don't have this sleep problem) think of the idea. I guess it will just be an experiment, I'd hate to start my day with lunch.

As an ex-teacher, I can't imagine that I would be have been favour of this experiment which would result in disruption to family life and evening social life for teachers involved. On the other hand, most secondary teachers enjoy some A Level on their timetable and would probably go along with it, in order not to miss out and I suppose no teacher would be involved in late teaching every day.

A drawback for the school in question will surely be the absence of its Sixth Formers from a whole chunk of the school day, detracting from their role as part of the school community - something which schools usually regard as important.

[MrGongGong]

A drawback for the school in question will surely be the absence of its Sixth Formers from a whole chunk of the school day, detracting from their role as part of the school community - something which schools usually regard as important.

Slightly OT
but in my experience "Sixth Formers" benefit schools but would often be better at a Sixth Form College (where good ones exist) where they get to escape from the petty nonsense that often is part of many secondary schools.

[french frank]

Why would one assume that "adult life" involves getting up early ?
Actually, I usually do get up very early these days but know plenty of others (mostly gigging musicians) who don't get up before mid day.

One doesn't have to 'assume' anything. "Adult life" involves (for most people) getting up and going to work when the employment/employer demands it. Most adults aren't gigging musicians (but those who work on morning newspapers would have similar hours - probably longer!).

Otherwise all aspects of life could be divided into two sectors - those who prefer to get up early and get work out of the way ('larks'), and those who want to get up late and work into the night ('owls'). And never the twain would meet.

At the root of the story is the research which suggests teenagers are at a biological stage where their bodies are attuned to getting up late.

[MrGongGong]

At the root of the story is the research which suggests teenagers are at a biological stage where their bodies are attuned to getting up late.

Seems sensible to me

Finding the REAL time when one is most receptive and able to learn is a really useful skill. The problem is often that people don't really know themselves well enough to be able to make a wise judgement. But as no one seems to want to create an education system where self-awareness is part of what people learn then we are doomed to blunder about in the dark with random moments of clarity.

( in danger of turning into Gurdjieff)

The R3 series about composers rooms is interesting in how different people work.

(I'm sure there's some old stuff about this in John Holts books ?)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Personally, I think this is a load of guff. The teenagers in question should go to bed earlier. Schools that operate the continental day seem to do OK.