Dragging growing kids out of bed at 6:30 in the morning day after day is insane, and I have to think it is driven by adult work needs (and ultimately by employers) rather than by any rational consideration of the children's interests.
Also, there were a group of girls on the bus who harassed me by repeatedly exposing their privates towards me with impunity. It didn't matter if I ignored them, it happened for at least 2 years.
The "magnet" schools seemed to group poor and dysfunctional kids together and then try to sprinkle middle-class and gifted kids involuntarily under a social experiment that they'll make the other kids "better" by osmosis. The promise of the "magnet" school was they were supposed to do something extra and get more money, but I think they were a magnet for concentrating problems. My guess is there was a lot of child abuse occurring against girls in the low income areas and at magnet schools, so some of them were experiencing precocious puberty and acting-out.
Oddly enough, I was never in a fight with other boys anytime in school, probably because I dwarfed everyone else. Or maybe we were all too tired to care?
Also interesting was by high school, which started later, I was able to awaken at the same minute (7:58 am) every day. By then, I bicycled 3.8 miles / 6.1 km twice a day to school; a school with a parking lot full of students' Mercedes and BMWs while the teachers were making peanuts.
Whenever I hear, "turned out fine" it prompts me to look closer.
The best part of this is not having to get up very early. My oldest was picked up by the bus at 6:07 AM every day. Now she wakes up more naturally and it's been a fantastic change. She can get more rest, if needed, when she has her monthly, which isn't something she would be able to normally do.
There is tremendous value in open door daycare policies. Some kids arrive 730 because thats their parents schedule. Others at 10 because little sam decides to sleep in.
Its unfortunate that the assembly-line aspect of post-K schooling forces kids to fixed times which are often at odds with the children or even parent's needs
And no, it wasn't some ancient history either.
Actually, in general, high school was the most demanding part of my life, so far as long stretches of time go (sure, I've had the odd week or month that's worse). And I was a pretty bad slacker about things like homework (given the time demands even with that lax attitude, I think I'd have gone actually-crazy otherwise).
Middle-aged now. Nothing's been as rough as high school, or even close. And I had it pretty easy (no significant bullying issues or anything like that, stable home life)
I'm conflicted on this, mostly because that after school time was very valuable to me, much more than being able to sleep in a little more. This was extra true in the winter, when the sun set by 5pm. I also recognize that not everyone to be as easily up and awake that early in the day.
A lot of kids may have been asleep at noon, like the Spanish siesta, equally, kids may have been involved in the midnight harvest, or caring for the fire.
Things tended towards more of several smaller sleeping periods spread out over the entire day, and periods of activity at times that might feel strange now.
Sleeping 8pm to 6:30am is enough. But you have to put them to bed by then.
1 - https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sleep-disord...
In winter, there is dark at like 17:00. How do their bodies know difference between 22:00 and 24:00?
In retrospect I'm glad I always had a full night's sleep, because I wouldn't have if left to my own devices.
Nowadays parents keep their kids up all hours of the night, I really don't get it. I see elementary aged kids out and about (in public) 9, 10, even 11pm.
Now in retrospective, I am glad I learned to cut activities and go to sleep. Paid off in college, actually. And I plan to do the same for my kids.