Rylie Lipke ‘27, News Editor
As the transition from February to March begins, days get longer and nights get shorter. Along with this change comes the adjustment in routines that become harder for students, teachers, and staff in general.
When winter’s crisp weather came through, so did the switch in routines; many students had to adjust their schedules to fit the shorter daylight hours. They may change their outdoor activities to earlier so that they can still do them, risking crunching their schedules, and adding more stress to their day. However, with the switch in sunlight hours, a change in routine could be good or bad for students.
With the longer days, students’ after-school lives can get a bit busier. Extracurriculars like sports or school events take up most of a student’s life, so having extra daylight after those activities could allow more time to work on school work, or even just relax after a long day. Freshman Daisie Walker said, “After school, it feels like I have more opportunities to hang out with friends and go for bike rides because it is light out longer.” The stress from not having enough time before the new daylight savings switch could be easily relieved for most students after they have more time to relax or do other activities. According to Daylight Specialists, “Exposure to natural light longer helps to regulate our circadian rhythm by stimulating the production of serotonin during the day and melatonin at night.” Basically, people tend to be more happy and at peace when there is natural light around them more often.
However, having more and more daylight time may not be ideal for most. Some of the negative impacts of having longer daylight hours is going to bed later than some may have on a regular day. During the weekends, people may be out later with friends or family without a care in the world for school. Though this may seem nice and all, the flashback to reality once Sunday hits for students is hard. A lot of students may go to bed around eight to nine P.M. when it is already pitch black out. With the sudden daylight switch though, it is brighter outside until around 9:30 P.M. With this shift in daylight time, students may be getting to bed later than they usually would on a school night, just because they may not be able to fall asleep until it is dark outside. According to Johns Hopkins, “Adolescents who get less sleep often have behavioral, learning, and attention issues, as well as an increased risk of accidents, high blood pressure, and mental health problems.” By going to bed at a later time, it not only affects one’s academic performance, but it can also lead to other health problems that could become dangerous over time.
Most people only tend to think about the student’s lives and how they may be impacted with this new daylight change, but they are not the only people who have been affected by this. Teachers’ lives are also affected by this change as well; from coming into the classroom before the sun comes up, to coming in when it is already light outside, it may help make the teachers wake up just as much as it may wake up the students. By the teachers being up and ready to teach, it may make learning and doing classwork easier and more enjoyable for a majority of students. Teachers come from a busy life at home, and mornings may feel difficult for them at times. Coming into work more awake than usual, just because of how bright it is outside, could make a huge difference in how their feelings about that morning may start.
The switch from darkness earlier back to brightness later can significantly impact students and teachers in different ways. Having more daylight time can help students not have such a rushed after school schedule, and they may actually have some free time to lay around and do stuff with friends. This time being freed up, compared to having almost no time for activities after school when it was dark, can lead to less stress being felt by students who have busy lives outside of the classroom.
Lyon Life 