Flex. Atom time. SOL remediation. No matter what you call it, it’s pointless.

At the beginning of the school year, what used to be known as Flex was changed into the new and what was once improved, W4 and Atom Time combination. Flex was a free hour and a half that was split into two 45-minute segments in which two designated periods would be attended. At the end of the 2010-2011 school year, it was decided to turn this waste of time into something more efficient called Atom Time.

This new Atom Time would consist of a homeroom class called W4, and would continue with either free time, study hall or designated class due to low grades.

This creation was one of the most genius ideas the school has ever come up with. This gave students the chance to bring up their grades in classes they were struggling in while also rewarding students who had good grades. These honor roll students, or “Atoms in good standing” were given the opportunity to do whatever they pleased, within reason, as an incentive for doing well in school.

I was able to get things done in many of my classes, and this allowing homework to be a breeze. If students wanted to hang out with friends in the gym or cafeteria, there was nothing to it. Just a simple sign of the name and you had an hour to kill!

Now, with less than a month left of school, the new Atom Time has begun. This new Atom Time schedule consists of directing students to a specfic period for an hour and a half without letting them leave to see other teachers. Sure, I understand that some students need help to prepare for the SOLs, but wasn’t the old “directed atoms” schedule enough? The SOLs are some of the easiest tests ever given to high school students. Not all students need this remediation, especially if they have an ‘A’ or ‘B’ in the class on a regular basis.

The reason for creating this new atom time schedule was to increase crowd control in the hallways due to SOL testing. By keeping students in one classroom during the atom time period, this prevents any disruption to those who are testing in classrooms throughout the school. Also, many classrooms are being used for those who need assisted SOL testing, so any empty classes that exist during Atom Time are used for these students,

Although the reasoning for changing Atom Time makes sense, it is still unfair that students are forced to go to one particular teacher. It would be just as effective to make sure students are in one classroom for the whole atom time, but where they go is up to them. As long as students are not disrupting the quiet that exists in the hallways, we should have the opportunity to make our own choices that help better our academic achievements.

Also, students, like myself for example, only have one or two SOLs to complete anyways. This means that five of their other W4 periods are wasted when they can be working to bring up grades in other classes. What about those classes where there is not an SOL? Are PE students supposed to study the perfect pushup form for an hour? Like I said: wasted time. If the school wants its students to be their best, shouldn’t they be more concerned with students working on what they find to be most beneficial?

It’s understandable that final exams are coming up and these sessions are meant to help student prepare, but one or two study hours with their teacher is not as helpful as it may seem.

The school should go back to the old Atom Time schedule in order to allow students to thrive in their academics. Not to mention, free time for those who find school to be a piece of cake isn’t too bad either.