1:14
Welcome to if teachers ruled the world, where we imagine what education would look like if the people actually doing the work got to make the decisions. I’m Leah Cleary, and I’ve been teaching for 25 years, which means I’ve spent approximately 4500 mornings looking out at a classroom full of zombies. And today, well, today, I’m declaring myself education secretary of my own fantasy administration. So buckle up, because we’re about to get real about sleep, teenagers, and why I think school should start at 10am.
1:55
So Executive Order Number One from Secretary Cleary: no human being under the age of 18, and myself, shall be required to form coherent thoughts before 10am. Executive Order Number Two, anyone who says, but we’ve always done it this way about school start times, has to teach first period algebra for a month. And Executive Order Number Three, all education policy meetings must include at least one person who has actually tried to explain the quadratic formula to a teenager at 7:30 in the morning.
2:33
Okay, but seriously, behind every joke is something we actually need to talk about. And this one, this one keeps me up at night, which, ironically, is part of the problem. Let me paint you a picture. It’s 8am, first period. I’m standing in front of 28 sophomores, and I swear half of them look like they’re auditioning for The Walking Dead, heads down on desks, eyes glazed over. One kid drinking their third energy drink of the morning, and it’s barely 8am. I’ve got this lesson plan, something I’m actually excited about. And I’m looking out at these kids thinking, how can they possibly learn when they’re barely conscious? So you know what I do? Right in the middle of talking about ancient Egypt, I’ll suddenly start talking about how aliens came down and built the pyramids, and we have conclusive proof of that, just to see if anyone notices. And you know what? Sometimes nobody does, that’s when you know you’ve lost them completely.
3:38
Don’t get me wrong, I can usually bring them back with something, a little movement, maybe some caffeine level enthusiasm. But here’s the thing, I shouldn’t have to compete with their basic biological needs just to teach them. Compare that to my sixth period class, same lesson, same energy from me, but completely different kids. They’re chatty, maybe too chatty. They’re alert, they ask questions, they laugh at my terrible jokes. They’re actually there in a way that my morning zombies just can’t be.
4:13
And the research backs this up. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teenagers get eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. But here’s the kicker, their circadian rhythms naturally shift during adolescence. Their bodies are literally programmed to fall asleep later and wake up later. We’re asking them to fight their own biology. Dr, Mary Carskadon’s, I really hope I’m saying her name correctly. Dr Mary Carskadon’s research at Brown University shows that melatonin production in teenagers doesn’t start until around 11pm. Two hours later than in adults. So when we’re telling them to go to bed at 9pm their brains are saying, Are you kidding me? No. I’m not even tired yet.
5:01
The National Sleep Foundation found that only 15% of teenagers get the recommended 8.5 hours of sleep on school nights. 15%! That means 85% of our students are walking into our classrooms sleep deprived. And here’s what really gets me. When they come back from a break, Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break, they look worse than ever. You know why? Because for a week they’ve been sleeping like their bodies actually need to sleep. They’ve had a taste of what it feels like to be rested. And then we drag them back to our artificial schedule, and it’s like watching them slowly deflate.
5:43
Sleep is not a luxury, it’s not laziness, it’s a biological necessity for learning. When kids are sleep deprived, their ability to focus, retain information and regulate emotions plummets. We’re literally setting them up to fail and then wondering why they’re not performing. Now, I know what some of you are thinking, but Leah, what about sports? What about activities? What about parents getting to work? I get that these are legitimate concerns. Sports matter, activities matter, and yes, parents have real schedules and real jobs, but here’s what I’d say. We’re currently teaching our kids that they have to choose between their health and their success. And that’s a false dichotomy. Right now, we have kids playing sports at 6am then going to class exhausted, then having practice again after school, then staying up late to finish homework, then starting the whole cycle over again. We’re teaching them that exhaustion equals dedication, that success requires sacrificing basic human needs.
6:56
What if we flipped that? What if we said, how can we redesign the system around human biology instead of tradition? Maybe that means later practice times. Maybe it means seasonal sports instead of year round training. Maybe it means schools actually coordinating so kids aren’t trying to do three activities at once. And I know that is harder than it sounds. And you know what? I bet our star athletes would be even better if they were actually well rested.
7:29
So here’s my vision. Picture this, it’s 10am, I walk into my classroom, and my students are actually awake. Their eyes are bright. They’re talking to each other in real conversations, not the grunted Hey of The Walking Dead. I start my lesson, and instead of competing with their circadian rhythms, I’m working with them. They ask questions because their brains are actually firing. They participate because they have the energy to engage. They learn because they’re capable of learning. And this isn’t just fantasy schools that have implemented later start times have seen improvements in attendance, academic performance and student mental health. It’s not rocket science. It’s basic human biology.
8:19
This is exactly why I created the if teachers ruled the world segment of this podcast, because we need teacher voices in these conversations. We need people who actually see what happens in classrooms to be part of policy decisions. So here’s what I want to know from you. If you had the power to enact one education policy tomorrow, what would it be? What’s the thing that keeps you up at night? Besides grading papers and lesson planning, I want to hear from teachers, administrators, support staff, and even students and parents, what would your ideal education look like? And if you want to come on the show to talk about it, head over to my website. That’s leahcleary.com/guest-form. Go to leahcleary.com/guest-form, I will put that link in the show notes too, and fill out the guest form.
9:16
Let’s imagine this world together, because here’s the truth, teachers do rule the world. We’re shaping the next generation every single day. Maybe it’s time we started acting like it. Thanks for listening to if teachers ruled the world. I’m Leah Cleary, and I’ll see you next time, hopefully after 10am.
