Shorter Resource Limits Student’s Efficiency
Students who are taking challenging classes, involved in sports and extracurriculars at HUHS, can use Resource as a valuable free time to relax and get work done; but now they have even less time during the school day with the same amount of work to do during a 25 minute Resource period.
Recently the HUHS schedule has brought back Resource but shortened it from 45 minutes to 25 minutes. With a shorter amount of free time to get help, work on homework, or relax it brings into question if this time is even efficient and valuable.
Students mainly use Resource to get work done. According to a poll on Twitter, 52 percent of students do work, 32 percent socialize, eight percent get help from teachers, and eight percent said other; including band lessons and driving to practice after online school.
Similarly, on an Instagram poll, 19 students said they do work or get help while only six students said they socialized during Resource; which shows that most students prefer to get work done although a smaller minority of students prefer using this time to socialize.
Time to finish homework, get help from teachers, or makeup assignments is important and even helps to improve students’ grades. The article Homework Study Hall: What Does It Take? by assistant principal David Chambers explains how his school added a mandatory study hall for students to make up assignments or get work done, which drastically improved students’ grades and decreased the number of students with missing assignments.
"When all students began to do their homework, our honor roll went from 32 percent of the student body to more than 50 percent,” Chambers said.
Additionally, the shorter Resource period has adversely affected students by limiting their potential to get help from teachers, understand subjects better, and improve their grades by making up and correcting assignments. Teachers also have less time to prepare lessons for students, which could be used as a valuable tool to help educate students better because of the designated free time they can dedicate to students.
Longer study halls specifically for work are beneficial. However, if students have too much time they will make the assignment fit the time given. According to a Timely blog written by unknown, “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
This means with less time, students spend their time more efficiently. With more time, there is less incentive to work hard for students who use this time to get work done.
Even for students who prefer to use their Resource to socialize a longer Resource is beneficial. The article titled 4 Reasons You Need To Make More Free Time by Elior Moskowitz states that spending time socializing can reduce emotional stress and result in making more friends through socializing during free time.
By spending time taking a break or relaxing it can actually make an individual more productive.
“If you’re feeling a lack of inspiration in your work, try getting the creative juices flowing by taking some time away to play,” Moskowitz said.
In Resource, students can take a shorter refreshing break then get back to finishing work later.
Overall since a majority of students and teachers use Resource to get work done or get help, the change to a shorter 25-minute Resource has decreased the efficiency and potential for students to excel by finishing work and getting help.
