SEL Assemblies ineffective, shouldn’t replace office hours

By Katherine Mueller

Executive Opinion

The transition from a full year and a half of distance learning to full time in-person education has felt like a quantum leap for countless students. As they face tougher in-person classes while carrying the burden of study habits now degraded by the pandemic, many students need all the time and assistance they can get. Hence, office hours should occur every Wednesday in order to facilitate constructive learning, and should not be periodically replaced with assemblies. 

In past years, office hour schedules took place every Wednesday, in which students had two extra hour-long periods of free time within the school day to catch up on work, make-up tests, or seek aid from teachers. However, this year, five office hour Wednesdays are being sacrificed to make room for five, hour-long mandatory Social Emotional Learning (SEL) assemblies. Accumulated with nine other office hour combined Drill Schedule days, Costa’s beloved office hour Wednesdays are facing reduction, begetting audible irritation from the student body.   

Office hours have proven to be a crucial time for students to meet with teachers. Typically, when conferencing with teachers during office hours, students will seek help on various assignments, or use the time to take assessments missed due to absences. However, with the school year now void of many office hour days, students will have less collaboration time with their teachers which would have served to raise their grades and comprehension of material. 

During office hours, students have the option of making productive choices regarding schoolwork, yet are simultaneously blessed with the opportunity to socialize with their peers for an extended amount of time. Giving students office hours periods each week does not only allow them to get a leg up on their daily workload, but additionally gives them practice evaluating whether it is best for them to be productive, or to take it easy. By having this opportunity, students will become better at managing their time efficiently, and discover what environments they learn best in at the same time. 

Despite the good intentions of MBUSD, Costa’s Social Emotional Learning assemblies have not proved to be as worthwhile as intended. According to a poll taken by over 100 Costa students from all grades, more than 82% of students have not benefited from Costa’s new Wednesday wellness assemblies. Furthermore, 95% of students have signified that they would prefer to have office hours every Wednesday instead of an alternating office hours-assembly schedule. Data clearly shows that maintaining the classic weekly office hour schedule will promote student satisfaction more than the current policy, advancing students’ wellness in a more effective way.

Doubtlessly, the isolation and apathy numerous students experienced during distance learning provoked a need for the administration to take action. SEL Wednesdays are not a foreign concept, as compact versions of the assemblies occurred weekly during distance learning. However, due to their shorter time spans and other more productive scheduling factors, SEL meetings were able to occur in conjunction with office hours each Wednesday, offering a more productive solution that accommodated both students’ mental health and academic needs. 

Though mental wellness is crucial, understanding material and receiving exemplary grades is equally as imperative in the eyes of many students. The methods in which students manage their psychological composure often boil down to individual preference, while the preference for the gift of bonus freedom amidst an exasperating school day is one shared by all.