Running out of Time

It’s always been a struggle to get to class on time. Students are given exactly 4 minutes to leave one classroom, collect their books, and make it to the next class in time for the bell. With whatever time left, you can forget even trying to go the restroom, or having any real conversations with your friends. Even after all of that, you still have to maneuver through the chattering seventh graders, the mobs of slow walking students, and the chaotic traffic jam that we call the stairwell. While some periods are definitely easier than others, there is a constant trend of rushing from long distances, inevitably leading to students forgetting books, papers, or other important materials. This adds an important lesson to our homework: devising a path to get to class. I can still remember times where the only way I could make it to class on time was if I carried all my books with me. Other students actually got multiple book bags to place strategically around the school.

Things get even more complicated at lunch. Getting from the lunchroom to the fifth period classrooms is almost impossible, especially with classes held upstairs. As a senior, my schedule’s  travel difficulty between classes has decreased somewhat. However, this year has brought up a new problem. As seniors,  we have the privilege to go off campus for lunch on Wednesday. It sounds great until lunch time became shorter. Not only that, this year we have not been able to leave our classrooms early before lunch. It’s not easy to leave class, sign out, drive to get the food, come back, eat and get to our fifth period class without being late.

I understand that schedules are pre-made in order to fit the requirements for class time. However, it is common knowledge that the schedules are not set in stone. Chapel and other functions like assemblies or meetings constantly change the schedule of our day. While it would require some work, adding at least 2 minutes to our time between classes would help tremendously.


What do you think? Leave a comment below.