It's probably something about reaching the last weeks of an academic term, but I find myself thinking a lot about the importance of getting enough sleep. I'm actually reluctant to cut my own sleep back too much out of fear that I'll wind up sick. Even cutting back by an hour or two leads me to that deadly post-lunch crash. In the classroom, when I'm teaching, the fatigue doesn't hit until the kids head home. Then, look out. I rely upon an afternoon cup of coffee or Coke to get through the next few hours.
My own teenagers similarly struggle to get enough sleep. By now, we've all heard about the biological basis for teens' desire to stay up late and sleep in. Unfortunately, at least where we live, high school schedules necessitate getting up way too early. My own teens are lucky if they get seven hours of sleep on a school night. Weekends are good for catching up on sleep, as long as that means sleeping in and not going to bed early. As my daughter has told me numerous times, always in a horrified voice, "I can't go to bed yet! It's Saturday night!"
One of my sixth grade students often seems sleepy during the day. He is a voracious reader, and I know he stays up too late reading some times. He's also written that he has trouble falling asleep on occasion. Unfortunately, getting even a little less sleep can have a significant impact on a student's school performance.
I tackled this subject in a recent Letter Pop newletter: Sleep and School Success. Check it out, and tell me if you've got any suggestions for communicating directly with students about the importance of sleep.
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