By Alexander El Sawi, Staff Writer
Around the world, one of the greatest defying differences in the educational system between the U.S. and other international countries comes down to the hours of school activity. Globally, daily school hours vary from an average of 4 hours in Brazil to 9.5 hours in Thailand.
Throughout the U.S. the average school day is 6.64 hours according to the National Center For Education Statistics, and often starts around 8 or 9 AM and ends between 2 and 4 PM. Specifically in Howard County, start times differ from elementary, middle, and high school to accommodate bus routes. But for all of the high schools across Howard County, they begin at 7:50 AM and end at 2:35 P.M.
The duration of the school day is further than just time on a clock. It plays an important role in shaping student experiences. Advocates for longer school days argue that additional instructional time assists in a deeper understanding of subjects and enhances academic awards and success. Conversely, people express concerns about potential burnout, limiting extracurricular opportunities, and the need for sufficient rest. In the case of freshman Ceylan Urfali, who went to school in Turkey from preschool to ninth grade, he found it difficult in Turkey to participate on his basketball team because, “My school used to end at 3:00 PM and because of traffic I used to be at home by 5 and my practices were usually at 5:00 PM so I didn’t have any time to rest and it caused me to be late.”
Those changing schools across the world may also find it difficult to transition from their usual daily norms. For Ceylan, having taken all years from preschool to 9th grade in Turkey, when asked if getting less sleep in the United States than what he was used to in Turkey affected his ability to learn, he shred that it “definitely affected my learning. In preparation school (American equivalent to 9th grade), although I had to wake up at 5:30, I had the opportunity to sleep on the bus because the ride was two hours long due to traffic.” When asked if there was something he missed from taking school in Turkey, Ceylan additionally expressed that in between each period, he received ten-minute breaks which allowed him to relax.
Part of what creates such a varying difference in school hours is their principles. Schools with higher school hours prioritize academics and education over sports and extracurriculars. While this can be ideal for those who focus on mainly school and don’t participate in any out-of-school activities, for those who do it can result in the strain of time management and the added large homework load that many of these foreign schools implemented creating a stressful educational environment.
However, as for those who don’t partake in any extracurricular activities, it is still important to live a healthy lifestyle and have a sense of balance in your day. Relating self-care to the hours of school in India, senior Jasmitha Alle who had lived in India from up to tenth-grade shares, “I think a lot of people here (in India) go to the gym and all of that. But back in India, I think people don’t at all. People don’t give time to themselves at all. It’s like academics, this, and that. There’s no, there’s no time for yourself. So I would say…give an hour or two every day to yourself to focus on exercise, to focus on your health, and maybe just do things that you’re not obliged to do.”
Expressing similar opinions, Seón Tromble, a high school teacher in Tanzania, says, “In talking to the students I’ve found that their free time (after school hours, weekends) is spent studying more, and that’s the student’s choice. From an American perspective, it seems like madness to me. Everyone needs some downtime. But again, it’s totally normalized here… I’m a huge advocate for living a well balanced life and I’d love to see my students have the opportunity to leave school in the afternoon to go play soccer or spend time with their families and friends.”