Four lunches became a staple on Tuesdays to allow for an advisory period designed to share information with students and “building communities.” The first week back from winter break, we had advisory every day. Having advisory all week, no matter when, is impractical and detrimental to students because it eliminates tutoring, and it means substantially less time for homework during school.

For most classes, tutoring is provided during Flex Hour. With weeks without Flex Hour must stop a full week of advisory, students are unable to go to tutoring to get help on subjects they are struggling with. This semester, many advanced classes had tests the second week into the semester, which meant students risked going into tests without getting additional
help on the unit due to scheduling conflicts.

Without Flex Hour, there is no guaranteed time to work on homework. That means for students with jobs and other outside time commitments, there was no way for them to properly balance their time to stay on top of school. The four-lunch schedule also cuts down on time in class, which leads to cramped timelines for lectures and assignments. This leads to overwhelming stress.

With advisory every day, the lessons and information lose their importance. By the end of the week, people stopped paying attention because it was information overload.

Having advisory for only the first two days back from break would help get students back into the routine of school, allow for needed information to be shared, and still allow three days that week for students to have flex to attend tutoring, do homework and attend their clubs. Any information that won’t fit in two days of advisory could always go in an email.