Beaver Area High School gives its students four minutes between classes to get from one classroom to the next. Most people would agree that this isn’t enough time—especially considering our building’s layout.
Walking through empty halls at a normal pace from the school auditorium to Room 412 (the greatest distance a student might travel between classes) takes me 3 minutes and 45 seconds, which, in theory, is just enough time to get to any class in the school.
However, the 3 minutes and 45 seconds does not take into account hundreds of backpack-wearing students crowding the halls, stops at a locker, a much-needed bathroom visit, or a brief conversation with a teacher or friend.
Compounding the problem are traffic bottlenecks like outside the library when cafeteria study halls or lunch let out, the hallway doors by the attendance office, or the cross-hallway outside the little theater.
Plus, everyone walks at a different pace, and it proves very difficult trying to get past slow walkers in crowded areas—and that’s saying nothing about the time it takes to pack up at the end of a class and get into the hall in the first place.
Students complain that they don’t have time to use the bathroom before class, so they rely on hall pass use during a lesson. However, if there was more time given to students between classes, then less class time would be missed.
But this four-minute scramble hasn’t always been a problem: a few years ago, when there still was an eight-period day, students enjoyed five minutes between classes.
By taking a minute from each class period, students could again have five minutes between classes to do what they need to before class, just like before, and not detract from classes. Who would notice a class shortened by a single minute?
More time between classes—even an additional minute—would reduce stress. Some students need this additional time to be able to get to class, while others just need to be able to use the restroom or decompress. Everyone could benefit from a little extra time between classes.