I wake up to another Monday morning. It is almost like the weekend never happened, I spent the entirety of my two days off cramming homework. I can’t help but think of what I could have done if I had just one more day – I could have relaxed, taken some time for myself. 

According to CBS News, nearly 900 school districts in the United States have moved to a four-day school week. 

Coppell ISD should adopt a four-day school week as well. As students, our mental health reflects on our work. Homework could get done more thoroughly and students would get more time to take care of themselves.

“It’s better for students’ mental health, which should be a priority for schools right now,” Coppell High School sophomore Nikhita Kumar said.“Students are stressed out by school and, if they had a three-day weekend, that gives them time to recharge and focus on their wellbeing.”

For students who experience issues such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), time is harder to manage. Instead of being able to just focus on completing one goal, this can lead to students spiraling in all different directions, unable to concentrate. Having an extra day of break would allow students time to plan and use their time more wisely.

Four-day school weeks can also give students the time for extracurricular activities and part-time jobs. 

“If students have jobs and other priorities, they won’t have to be restricted,” Kumar said. “Students don’t have a lot of time for extracurriculars and they can get stressed out.”

CHS9 counselor Katie Walker thinks there are both advantages and disadvantages to having a four-day school week. 

“Shorter school weeks would be helpful because kids could get stuff done and have more time to do activities that they want,” Walker said. “However, I think that it also could be hard because that’s one more day that they aren’t having face time with their teacher, it’s kind of multifaceted.”

With not enough time in school, CHS business teacher and cross country/track coach Samantha Roth thinks this change could be unfavorable for student athletes.

“I think having a four-day work week would be harder for athletes because they’re not on the same schedule,” Roth said. “They’re still going to have practices on those days that they don’t have school and it gets them off their schedule, which makes them not as focused on their athletics and their schoolwork.”

It is all up to students and how they manage their time. Having a four-day school week would require students to learn better time management skills to keep up with all of their classes. Managing time better is an essential life skill that students could benefit from learning early on.

With teachers, this additional day on the weekends could be utilized for planning out lessons for the coming week.

“There are a lot of teachers feeling really burnt out right now and I think that it would be a better incentive to help them out,” Walker said. “I think it would also give them more time to feel like they can do more planning. I think on the teacher’s side it is probably better.” 

In a recent study, Fridays were shown to be the least productive day of the workweek. Eliminating Fridays in our school week could lead to increased productivity and better workflow amongst students and faculty. Assignments could be completed more efficiently and thoroughly.

On one hand, a four-day school week would mean school would have to start earlier and end later. On the other hand, having Friday off of school could lend more practice time to extracurriculars such as athletics, theater and band. It could give students and teachers time to plan out their weeks. 

Four-day school weeks are beneficial for everyone. School would be a much less stressful environment for students and staff alike. Eliminating stress in our school environment would make school a much more enjoyable experience for all.

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This story was originally published on Coppell Student Media on October 16, 2023.