This year not only were we online, but Wednesdays are now used for office hours. During the Senior coffee talk on November 18th there was a long discussion about the Wednesday schedule. During which, Jake Doyle, a Senior at AHS had questions, comments, and even suggestions for the Wednesday schedule. The Skier Scribbler had the opportunity to follow up with Doyle.
“I enjoy the Wednesday schedule but I don’t because it’s very confusing and I never really know if I have class or not,” Doyle said.
While Wednesdays are mainly used for office hours, some teachers, especially IB teachers, need an extra instructional day so office hours are mandatory as well as if you have a D or F in the class. One issue presented by the Wednesday schedule is the inconsistency: some teachers have class as mandatory while others don’t. This leads to some students having school and some not while others may have a class at awkward points in the day with large breaks in between. Some teachers want students to use Wednesdays as a time to catch up with work and have time to get away from their screens.
“I use Wednesdays to take time to myself and calm myself down in the middle of the week. Not only is online school stressful but the world around us adds even more stress to our lives. I think it’s a great way to make sure I am ok mentally and physically,” Doyle said.
Screen time has a large impact on students’ health. During covid it is important to still get outside and go skiing, walks, and sledding in order to take a break from looking at the screen. For these reasons Doyle would like to keep Wednesdays as a day to catch up or go to office hours even after we go back to school in person.
“I would definitely like to keep it as a day to get outside and to get my mind off of school. It’s also a great way to catch up on school if needed.” Doyle said
Seniors have college applications, juniors are getting a grasp with IB classes, and sophomores and freshmen are still getting to know their teachers and discovering what classes they would like to take. But with homework and after school activities it’s difficult to prioritise our mental health.
Students also suggested ways teachers and staff could make Wednesdays less confusing.
“There should be better communication between the students and teachers about if there is mandatory class or not. There have been several times that I’ve missed class because I didn’t know I had class,” Doyle said.
This is very common among the student population “I would advise them not to use it as an instructional day but a catch-up day. I know that kids fall behind all the time and would definitely use it to help themselves with what they missed. I also know that the teachers are as stressed out as the students and should use it to take care of themselves,” Doyle said.
There has been some talk among students and parents that Wednesdays are “boring” and there is “nothing to do” but this should be a day students look forward to.
“If you have ‘nothing to do’ I’d remind them that they live in one of the greatest places in the world. There’s always something that you could be doing outside: skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, etc. But if you don’t do any of those things then you could read a book or get ahead on school work. There is never ‘nothing to do’,” Doyle said.