There is no doubt in my mind that the rocky, unorganized start to school was mainly because of the new schedule. My number one concern with this schedule is that tutorial, the 15 or 20-minute break between first and second period, has been cut.

The time taken from tutorial goes towards passing periods between the 45-minute classes and towards class time for normal 95-minute classes. Although students and teachers appreciate this time, I don’t think that five minutes of class is worth a loss of extra time for students to do very useful things.

Tutorial gave students time to meet with teachers, organize club meetings, go to the bathroom, get a snack, and socialize with friends who you don’t get to see all school day. To many teachers, time to socialize does not seem like a priority during the school day, but to students time to socialize is something that is extremely valued.

Students with busy schedules are given little to no time to meet with teachers. Almost all freshmen don’t have a free period leaving before school, after school, and during lunch as the only times to meet with their teachers. This is also a problem for IB Diploma candidates who also don’t have a free period. Students and teachers, looking to give and receive extra help, valued that 20-minute break. Even the students who are willing to give up their lunch, may not be able to meet with their teachers at lunch due to split lunch. Students and teachers who do not have corresponding schedules are unable to meet apart from before and after school, when even those with lenient schedules are busy.

Clubs have even more of a limited selection of times to meet. With kids who didn’t want to sacrifice their lunch, tutorial was the sole time to organize their meetings. Even if students are willing to sacrifice their lunch, there is a very good chance that all the members of a club have the same lunch. This loss of tutorial has left no common time for students.

The passing period now, five minutes, is a very limited amount of time. Often I am late for my class if I try to go to the bathroom, or converse with my friends during passing periods. And that doesn’t even factor in the chance that your teachers lets you out a few minutes late.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am not hungry when I wake up at 7am. Tutorial gave students time to eat breakfast, enabling them to be energized for the next few classes. That is a positive aspect for students trying to excel in the school day and teachers trying to motivate their students to succeed.

Break time is really valued by students who struggle with busy days. It gives them time to relax and socialize. I know from personal experience that it is hard to find time to see your friends when you don’t have overlapping schedules. Obviously social time is not a priority over class time but I do think with tutorial, there was a compromise allowing plenty of class time and plenty of social time.

The loss of tutorial is a devastating one for all grades. For sophomores, juniors, and seniors, who have experienced this break, the school day has changed for the worse.