5th Grade Teacher Explains The Sad Reason He Refuses To Wake Kids Up When They Fall Asleep In Class
You never know what could be going on at home.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock When a student falls asleep in class, most would expect their teacher to wake them immediately — maybe even be upset that they weren't paying attention to the lesson at hand.
However, Dan Shutes, a fifth-grade teacher and content creator, insists that the opposite is better. He doesn't wake up sleeping kids because there's usually an "underlying reason" as to why they can't stay awake during the school day, and instead of reprimanding them for it, teachers should show empathy.
The fifth-grade teacher explained the sad reason why he refuses to wake kids up when they fall asleep in class.
"This is why when a kid falls asleep in my class I just let them sleep," Shutes began in his video, explaining that a few years ago, he had an experience that completely changed his perspective.
Shutes recalled a former student named Billy who "had some behavioral struggles" and came from a "rough background."
"This one particular morning, he walked through the door, and I could just sense something wasn't right," he recounted. "The morning pretty much started without a problem, and as we got into our morning math lesson, 15 minutes into it ... I looked over at Billy, and he was fast asleep."
Shutes admitted that instead of waking the child up, he let him sleep through the entire class period and into the next.
The teacher later spoke with the school counselor and learned that the student was struggling at home.
When the student woke up, he was understandably confused — the entire class was gone because they'd already walked to their music class down the hall. When Billy noticed Shutes at his desk, he immediately apologized for falling asleep.
"I said, 'Don't worry about it, Bud. Is there anything else you need from me to make sure your day goes OK? A snack? A drink?'" Shutes recalled. "He said no and he got up and walked himself down to music class."
Once Billy was gone, Shutes had a conversation with the school's social worker, who personally knew Billy and had worked with the child multiple times.
"He filled me in on a little bit more background on Billy," Shutes said. "At 10 and 11 years old, Billy had a ton of siblings he was responsible for. He was in charge of making sure they were taken care of at home when he got home from school, and he was in charge of making sure they were all up and out the door in the morning."
It seems Billy was a victim of parentification — described by Psychology Today as "when a child is forced to take on the role of a supportive adult within their family." Instead of being carefree, like a child his age should be, Billy was raising his siblings. It's truly no wonder why he was falling asleep and acting up in school.
Parentification can be traumatic and lead to an array of consequences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, according to Charlie Health. Parentified children may also miss out on developmental milestones as an effect of their outsized responsibilities.
In 8 years of teaching, the 5th-grade teacher said only a handful of students have fallen asleep, and every single one had a reason why.
"In every single case with every single student that fell asleep there was a background story that needed to be heard," Shutes said. "There was a perfectly good reason as to why they were exhausted. So teachers, just like me, take a lesson from Billy: Don't assume students are just being lazy."
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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 20–30% of high school students and 6% of middle school students fall asleep in class each day.
They may have simply stayed up too late or found themselves bored with the pace of class activities. However, there are also more serious reasons why they may have fallen asleep in class, including having to work a night shift to support themselves and their family, health issues, sleeping disorders, or a troubling home life.
Shutes encouraged other teachers to take a minute before reprimanding students for falling asleep in their class because there's likely an underlying issue as to why. If anything, these kids need a bit more empathy and understanding — take Billy, for example.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.