What is bedtime?

When I think back to when I was an 8th grader, my parents were still enforcing something that we liked to call "bed time."  That meant that after a certain time, you were supposed to go to bed.  No questions.  When you are young, your body needs the sleep!  The National Sleep Foundation states, "Research shows that adolescents require at least as much sleep as they did as children, generally 8 1/2 to 9 1/4 hours each night." 
What are the students in Barrow, Alaska getting?  Considering, there is now about 24 hour daylight and whaling has started, these kids aren't going to bed until 1, 2, 3 in the morning (?).  Thus, if they have to be at school by 8am, they will need to wake up by at least 7am, giving them no more than 6 hours each night.  No wonder they are falling asleep at their desks!  Today one of my students said, "Why isn't (so-in-so) here?  He texted me an hour ago and said he stayed up all night, so he should be here." 
Wait.  What?  He stayed up all night?  Well, that explains why he's NOT at school.  I am sure he was in bed sleeping.  Sleep schedules are very different than what I am used to at home.  I try to stick to my usual schedule, bedtime at 10:30pm, wake up at 6am.  Bedtime was something that was instilled in my mind as a young child because sleep is essential to performance during the day.  These kids don't have bedtimes.  They sleep when they are tired and stay awake when they are not.  Unfortunately, these asleep/awake times don't really coincide with the school schedule...It makes it very hard for them to get to school on time (or to school, in general).  I can't tell you how many times I have heard my 8th graders being told that as they begin their transition to high school they need to remember to, "go to school." With only 13 days left until 8th grade promotion (7 more days in the classroom), the attendance is declining drastically!  In my class of 16, I had 9 students today.  In my class of 14, there were 8 (this has been about the average this week). 

So, here is the MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION, how do we get these kids to go to bed at night so they can come to school the next day????

Pictures for your viewing pleasures:  The statue inside the front door of Eben Hopson Middle School.  Mr. Eben Hopson, Sr. himself.  The first mayor of Barrow, Alaska. 

Plaque reads: "This school stands as a tribute to the courage and determination which led Eben Hopson, Sr. to fulfill his vision of a locally controlled education system.  Do not let anything stand in the way of the pursuit and fulfillment of your educational goals.  Education is the key to success."

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
-K