Opinion: LISD should use advisory for tutorials

Students+walk+on+either+side+of+the+hallway+to+ensure+less+face+to+face+contact+with+each+other.+The+Hebron+Administration+put+the+one-way+walking+lanes+in+the+hallways+to+prevent+the+spread+of+COVID-19+at+the+beginning+of+the+in-school+year

Kai Fernando

Students walk on either side of the hallway to ensure less face to face contact with each other. The Hebron Administration put the one-way walking lanes in the hallways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the beginning of the in-school year

In previous years with the traditional block lunch schedule, I found myself in tutorials almost every day. I enjoyed getting extra time to work on assignments and receive help from my teachers, but in order to have students back to in-person learning, LISD had to make changes to the high school schedule. 

 

The new schedule, which eliminated block lunch, presents new challenges for students who need to attend tutorials. The school day now starts at 8:20 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. In order to receive tutorials, students must stay after school, which may conflict with many bus riders’ schedules, or set back the homework start time for others. The difficulty the new schedule provides in regards to making tutorials accessible is a major concern.

 

Many teachers have children and other after school requirements. Because of this, they usually only stay after school one or two set days a week. I find this to be an issue because I usually need help with specific concepts before I have a major grade requiring that knowledge; however, as a student, I cannot expect my teachers to drop everything and help me.

 

For students whose teachers are able to offer tutorials, Hebron offers a late bus that leaves school at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. However if this bus schedule does not align with teachers after school availability, students could miss the opportunity for tutorials. 

 

Despite having to remove block lunch to meet LISD’s level orange COVID-19 guidelines, I still believe there are tweaks to the schedule that could provide for increased opportunities for students to attend tutorials by taking advantage and extending the time allotted for advisory. If the district shortened passing periods to the seven minutes, as it has been in the past, as opposed to the current 10, advisory could be extended to about 30 minutes. 

 

Because students are not allowed to gather in the halls or go to the bathrooms during the passing period, all of the students are in my classes by the time six minutes of the passing period is over. In order to allow for proper sanitizing between classes during shorter passing periods, students could be required to wipe down their own desk after the teacher sprays it at the beginning of the passing period.

 

Extended advisory would allow students to receive help from teachers instead of staying after school for tutorials. teachers could provide students with a Google form to fill out and allow a certain number of students to come to their classroom during advisory for tutoring. The sign-up via Google form should prevent overcrowding. If a student does not want to go to tutorials, they can stay in their advisory class, but they would need to mark that on the Google form. There would be a five-minute passing period following advisory to allow students to get back to their second period class, and to allow teachers to sanitize the desks used during tutorials.

 

The advisory lessons could be posted to Canvas for students to look through and complete at their own pace at any time. Students who do not do the lessons could have non-mandatory tutorials taken away until they complete the lesson.

 

 I find tutorials to be a crucial part of my bond with teachers, as well as the other students in my class. Now, I struggle to ask questions in my classes because I have not had much of a chance to speak with my teachers one-on-one. Tutorials are not only beneficial for students’ academic success, but also for students to form positive relationships with their teachers.