Free Time in Middle School

Have you ever been in school and thought you needed a break? I decided to do some research to see how many middle school students in the 7th grade think they deserve a break in their 7 hour school day. Every middle school student in the 7th grade deserves at least a 20-minute break in the school day because we work 7 hours straight in our day and our only break is lunch time which is only 30 minutes. A break would give students time to socialize, take naps, exercise, let their food digest, and have time to do school work.

Most people that were former students or teachers, thought that their students fell asleep in class, had stomach problems from lunch, or were overweight. Most people think that students need a break because “many students in middle school need some fun time in their school day instead of working constantly,” says Amy Horn, a 7th grade teacher in Illinois. Students tend to slack off in class and always have excuses for not doing class work, according to Ms. Horn. If we have a break in the school day, then students.

Students in middle school do school work for 7 hours. That is one reason why students sometimes fall asleep and or are sleepy in class. Maybe “students don’t get enough rest at home but most students have at least 8 hours of sleep before the school day,” Zaw W. Htwe, MD, of Norwalk Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center in Norwalk, Connecticut. If we have at least a 20 or 30 minute break, then students can have that time to take small naps and recharge for the rest of the day.

For middle school students in the 7th grade, our only free time is lunch, which is only 30 minutes long. “Most of us have to rush and eat our food quick to have time to talk to our friends. That is one reason why students have stomachaches.” (Cristel Brown- Sophomore at La Sema High) We especially can get stomachaches if we eat and then go to gym class so we should have a break to prevent that.

“Kids in the 7th grade barely have any physical exercise. Most students exercise more than 1 hour besides being in P.E. class in one week but that is not enough.” (Dawn Podulka from Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise) The other half only exercise 15-30 minutes in one week. If we have a break, then students will have more time to catch up on their physical strengthening activities.

When all research was completed, the thought of having a school break sounded like a great idea. A 20-minute break would make a big difference in the school day. Students will be happy and so will the teachers. Kids will have more exercise, time to do school work, and will have fun at the same time. That is why middle school students deserve a break.