There are serious flaws in the public education system; long school days, extreme amounts of home work and testing. I can say that these factors do effect learning, stress and the wanting to learn, because I am a student. I often feel beyond exhausted to a point where it is hard to learn or focus because I am stressed out about getting all projects done on time or having to study for a test that I have to take the next day, or just having to get up and go to a long day at school and then have to go home and do more of the same work.  It does not help that it is close to impossible to fit in enough sleep. 

     The long school day that students from age 5 to 18 face is unnecessarily exhausting. I get up at 7:00 to get on the bus at 8.10 and come back at 4:40 ( approximately 9 and 1/2 hours) from a strenuous long day and then have to do homework for a hour then go to soccer for 1 and half hours and then come back and do more home work and go to sleep. I have almost no time during the school week to hang out with friends, go outside or basically talk to my family. I love playing soccer, but now it is sort of a burden, with such long school days, so much home work, projects and testing.

     Then there is my little sister who is 7, gets up at 6:00 and gets home at 3:00 (9 hours) and then has to do her homework, go to gymnastics and then come back and go to sleep right after she finishes dinner if she wants go to sleep by 8:00. She also has the same problem as me, with such long days she doesn't necessarily enjoy going to gymnastics as much as she did during the summer when there is no school.

     The amount of home work and projects given is tremendous. I have had multiple projects and tests to study for at the same time and it is difficult to juggle them and get them done on time. I have had to stay up till 11:00 at night and then get up at 6:00 the next morning to finish homework or to study for a test. And a child my age should be getting ( at the least ) 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night, while some nights I get 7 hours of sleep.

     The immense amount of stress that comes from these factors is insane. I have had my friends call me or tell me that they are stressed out about a test or finishing something multiple times and I have called them. My parents have often had to talk to me and calm me down and tell me that it is ok if I don't get it done tonight and if I want to, I can go in late to finish it or turn it in late. But we have been taught the idea of not having our work done is a bad thing and that if we didn't complete on time, it is because we were slacking off when in reality we actually truly didn't have time while juggling all of the other things that our teachers assigned us.

     I have written and posted this article, because there needs to be a change in schools for students mental health and so kids have time to enjoy their childhood and not worry all the time about school. I propose that schools tell teachers to limit homework and tests and to cut off 10 to 15 minutes off of every class (which is equivalent to cutting off 1 1/2 to 2 hours off the school day) and have this time change and work policy tested on my school and if it works and kids grades, liking of school and stress levels improve then have it implemented to the rest of the schools of the United States.