With a new school year, we the students get new programs, new teachers and new classes! However, this year Thomas A. Edison CTE High School has had more changes made other than the bell schedule; the school has also mandated that the teacher’s participate in meetings on Mondays through Thursdays immediately after their teaching schedule is over, but what does that have to do with us?
With teachers busy after school, students who take part in extracurricular activities will have to wait until the teachers are finished with their meetings in order to have their organization meetings and team practices.
Every Monday teachers are obligated to have a meeting for an hour for professional development after they are finished teaching. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays the meetings are for parent outreach, which lasts a half hour or more, and Thursdays are teacher grade level meetings. During that period of time in which teachers are attending their meeting the students have that allotted time free, but what will they do during that time? Surely not play with their thumbs of course.
When asked his opinion on these meetings and that allotted time, Zaviel Young, a member of Edison’s baseball team said, “I don’t think students are gonna do their homework before a game. Before a game you’re trying to focus on the game, warm up, get ready, and get your head right. Before practice doing homework in that time would be great but during the season we have games around twice a week.”
However from a coach’s perspective, Mr. Craan, The Edison Soccer Coach, said, “The most important thing are the students. You are students first then an athlete. The afterschool sessions are beneficial for teachers to have time to communicate with parents on their child’s progress during an acceptable allotted time rather than on their own time and by becoming aware of that progress it helps the student, the school and everyone. For students during their time, there is a designated area in the locker room to do their homework. In most cases, they set up the field, get the equipment because I’m teaching them to become leaders and that’s why you have team captains to do the basic preparation like sometimes even starting the team warm up.”
The meetings are here and they are certainly here to stay. We might as well make the best of it, especially students who are part of a school team. Students should make use of the school library to complete work before practice. We might as well make the best of it, especially students who are part of a school team, this new schedule is here to stay.
