With 80 minute long classes and little time in between, many students in the Carter Community scramble to find time to use the restroom in between class periods or schedule a time they’d be able to talk to a teacher about a subject they didn’t understand. Some are left interrupting their classes to use the bathroom to avoid receiving a tardy slip for it. This creates a problem within the classroom and prevents students from participating in class time, though, there is a simple solution. By adding a few minutes extra in between periods many students would have the ability to use the bathroom, get prepared for their next class, or just to catch their breath and lower stress.
While students travel to and from classes throughout the day, many are left to wonder how much time they have left to make it to class on time or if they have a minute to spare to use the bathroom. Most are left with two options, they could use the bathroom and risk being late to their next period or wait and potentially interrupt their learning to step out for something that’s a human need. Neither option is favorable, but this could be resolved with a few extra minutes added to the 7 minutes we have. It would allow teachers to get through their lesson uninterrupted and permit students time to use the bathroom.
While some may argue that students would abuse that extra time or that it’s redundant, in many recent studies, it has been proven that frequent breaks in between learning allows students to retain more focus and remember more of what they were taught. By giving students a break to recall the information they were given, the students have demonstrated higher productivity, a boost in brain function and a decrease in stress/anxiety levels. These aren’t redundant results, they are the reality of allowing students to learn in the best environment using better techniques. Increasing the gap time would show similar results and leave less of an excuse for any student to show up later to their next period.
To motivate Carter’s learning environment and to decrease the stress among students, I believe that Carter should have longer breaks, even if by just two to three extra minutes. There are various reasons to pull from to increase the time and, in exchange, enrichment could be shortened to match the time taken out throughout the day or the time before first could be lessened to provide for the longer breaks. I think this could greatly increase the morale in our school system and allow teachers and students alike a well needed moment before their next period.
Carter Corps News 