Is Early To Bed,

Early To Rise Really Wise?

To the Editor:

Can’t we compromise on school start times?

 I just read an article that said that Newtown is going to examine the school start times. It said that the town will be divided on this since some families have no problem with the early start for the middle school and high school. I think we need to look at the  sleep studies done by doctors, and not just how the times fit our “lifestyles.”

Since our bus comes at 6:35,  I wake my kids up at 5:50 am. In order for them to get the 9 hours of sleep that typical teenagers need, they need to be asleep by 9 pm.  This really means starting the bedtime routine by 8:30. There is no way a typical teen will head to bed at this time.

There was a letter in The Bee not too long ago stating that the solution would be to turn off the TV, computer, radio etc... and this will enable kids to get to bed earlier... not in this household. My kids don’t watch TV, listen to the radio, or have the computer on (unless it’s for homework) during the week. A typical day for my teenagers includes school, an after-school activity or sport, dinner, homework, a short amount of time to just relax, then bed... this usually doesn’t allow them to get to bed till 9:30 at least.

For my family, even starting middle school and high school at 8 am would be a welcome change! Let’s hope the town makes the decision that is right for our kids.

Melanie O’Connell

Butterfield Road, Newtown                                       October 1, 2003