From The Head Teacher

It has been a quiet week in school with our Year 11 and 13 students having finished their exams and our Year 10 and 12 students completing their end of year exams.  I am sure it hasn’t seemed quite for these Year 10 and 12 students as they put their learning to the test in the Sports Hall all week.

Two articles caught my eye recently.  One relates to sleep and the other to sun.  Both concern our young people’s health and well-being.

Sleep and technology

The IB Journal of Teaching Practice published a study by Roberta Longpré which followed nearly 300 15-18 year old girls.  The study compared their sleep habits, amount of homework and their use of technology for recreation and entertainment.  The results confirm what we would expect:  that students who get the right amount of sleep and homework and who switch off the technology for entertainment after 8pm get better grades.  As stated by the article, “The study found that students who got 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night, did 2 to 3 hours of homework per night, and did not participate in recreational technology activities after 8:00 pm, tended to have higher grades.” (Longpré, 2013, P1).  Though the amount of sleep stated (7-8 hours) is actually less than that recommended for good health and better learning for children 15-18, the study highlights what many of us know, but not all of our children take notice of.

Longpré, R., 2013, “Investigating the relationship of different amounts of sleep, homework and recreational technology use on academic performance”, IB Journal of Teaching Practice, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1-6

Sun Protection

As we approach the warmer (and wetter) season, we need to be more vigilant than ever about sun protection.  Those from the southern hemisphere are often shocked at the cavalier risks that their northern hemisphere friends take with sun protection, or lack of it.  With “slip, slap, slop” drummed into children from a young age in Australia, it is surprising that many here in equally penetrating sun take less care.  In Vietnam, we live with year round sun and get used to it.  Getting used to it is no protection from the dangers, however, and can lead to complacency.  A recent article in Time Magazine highlights the risks and the proven benefits of daily sun protection.  I’ll certainly have my sun-screen on for tomorrow’s Aquathlon.

“Dermatologists have long prodded their patients to apply more sunscreen, claiming it not only protects against skin cancer, but aging as well. Now there’s evidence to prove it.

“In a new study, Australian researchers report that people who apply sunscreen everyday show 24% less skin aging compared to participants who only used sunscreen part of the time. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, looked at  900 people under 55 and discovered those regularly using sunscreen were less likely to have increased skin aging after 4.5 years — even those in middle age.”

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/04/sunscreen-slows-skin-aging-and-what-else-you-should-know/#ixzz2VUCinFjU

 

Richard Dyer

Head Teacher
Secondary