By Parnia Mazhar
Opinion Editor
The alternative plan of student-run courses during Office Hours instead of Midway Day is not a beneficial decision as it takes away opportunities for both students and teachers to better deal with their academic needs and ideally reduce their stress that they generally are able to do during Office Hours, and reduces the students ability to effectively express themselves.
Midway Day was a much-needed break for students from the stress of school, as it had taken place on the first school day after finals. As a result, a day dedicated to student-run classes ideally allowed students to learn in a new environment after having to spend many hours studying for tests during finals week.
Midway Day also seemed to be appealing for teachers as they did not have to teach for an entire minimum-day at school. According to science teacher Dan Bartlett, after spending lots of time grading final tests and projects, teachers deserve this much-needed time off to relax.
Although some teachers still had to be in their rooms when students were teaching, according to Bartlett, this gave the teachers the opportunity to pass on their teaching tips to the future generation, beneficial for both students and teachers.
According to Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale, the original intention of Office Hours was to allow students to complete group work, make up tests they have missed, and tend to any other of their academic needs. As a result, the new proposed Midway Day plan is not very effective as many students will often have to choose between talking to their teachers and sitting in on a student-run course.
According to Dale, Office Hours is crucial in helping students deal with their stress in an efficient manner. As a result, having these student-run courses outside of Office Hours was more beneficial for students, as they will be able to explore their creativity while still being able to deal with their academic needs.
Student-run classes are a necessity throughout school, but not at the expense of the two-hour block time. Therefore, if the school wanted an additional way to offer student-taught classes throughout the year, without interrupting Office Hours, it could look into offering a student-run course.
Headed by an adviser, this elective would allow students interested in teaching their peers about their passions to develop their own lesson plans each week. Through this beneficial program, the school would be able to better ensure that students would get the opportunity to express their interests throughout the year without interrupting Office Hours time.
As stated by Dale, implementing Midway Day during Office Hours is an appealing idea as it would allow the school to integrate student expression as an ongoing sector of the school’s creativity, rather than only being recognized once per year. Although it is crucial to allow students to express themselves throughout the year, utilizing Office Hours to do so is not the most effective solution.
Student-run courses are crucial for self-expression and should be integrated throughout the year. However, Dale and the administration’s suggestion to implement these courses within Office Hours is not the ideal way for students to express their unique talents, as they will often have to decide between exploring their talents and dealing with their academic needs.
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