According to “Why Don’t Students Like Going to School?” by Peter Gray Ph.D. published on Sept. 2, 2009, school is a prison for students. The average school time is about six hours filled with academic classes, physical education, and breaks in between that are too short to be called a recess.  At the end of the day, students are exhausted mentally and physically.

Some students argue that schools should be shorter but parents and school officials disagree.

“Some classes are so long and boring. I feel so tired after,” said EunHo Kim, a freshman at Kalani High School.

After a 75-minute class period, a 10-minute recess is given to students to lighten their load. However, a short break is not enough to compensate for long school hours.

When school ends, students are unable to go straight home to relax after hard and mundane daily activities and studies. Some students have other activities outside of school that includes tutoring, sports practices, and band practices which last into the evening.

Other students stay after school to get extra help from a teacher. Many public school students in Hawaii feel overwhelmed with classwork and homework assignments.

“I need to go to practice right after school and go tutor after,” Viveka Lin, a freshman in Kalani, said. “And I also have to do my homework so I don’t have any free time.”

Due to these complaints from students, the Department of Education surveyed students, asking whether school hours should be shortened.

Many parents disagreed. They claim that if children get off early from school, work schedules will be disrupted.

Some parents see school as a place where kids will be occupied with activities and education, giving them more freedom to do their things.