Have you ever had a hard time getting to class on time? Many students find it hard to get to class in the short amount of time they give us.
Tupelo High School is the biggest high school in Mississippi by enrolment and we only have five minutes to get to class. For some people that means getting across campus.
¨Sometimes there is not enough time¨ 9th-grade student, Jill Comer
Students don’t just think there isn’t enough time but they have some ideas on how to make things better. Comer recommended more time and wider hallways.
Other students concurred with Comer’s statement. ¨At least another minute to get to class because it’s not enough time¨ 9th-grade student, Josie Griggs
Josie Griggs, a 9th-grade student, faces a daily rush walking from the B building to the H building. ‘It’s not enough time,’ Griggs asserted. To test this, I timed the walk at 4 minutes and 46 seconds when the halls were empty, indicating that Griggs’ concern is valid during the crowded transitions.
It’s not just students who are affected by these short transition times teachers are also affected. ¨I run to the bathroom just to find that it is always occupied and I scarf down snacks¨ teacher, Mrs. Clark
There is not enough time to get anything done or even go to the bathroom.
¨Make sure you have copies no getting copies between classes¨ Mrs.Clark
Teachers don’t have enough time to prepare for the next class and students don’t have enough time to get where they are going.
This leads me to wonder why we have five minutes to get to class. ¨I think five minutes has probably been the standard for a long period of time at most high schools in the United States. And I think that was probably the average of how long it took to get from point A to point B¨ Coach Smith
The average size of high schools in the United States is about 800 students and Tupelo High School has 2,030 students. We are way above average so we should have more than average time to transition.
¨I don’t have enough time to get to class¨ Griggs