Communication time is a time for teachers and students to, uh, well, I don’t really know. While the block schedule implemented last year did away with Communication Time, the return to six period days meant that Communication Time would once again take part in our schedule from 8:55 to 9:10 on non-Connections days.

The bulk of this unclarity is rooted in the lack of consistency among teachers and their use of Communication Time. Throughout a normal week, I encounter several different uses of these 15 minutes. Some of my teachers take us to the cafeteria, some take my class for a walk and mask break and others simply use it for more class time.

Even as a freshman, I never truly understood the purpose of Communication Time and this confusion was heightened with the implementation of Connections. Now, it seems that Connections time is meant to allow teachers and students to bond with one another and discuss issues facing our school and world. So, then how is that different from the purpose of  Communication Time?

But I have a solution:

As a student enrolled in Advanced Journalism and a member of Inklings, I appreciate the importance of staying informed on the news and while there has been uncertainty of how to best assist students in doing so, Communication Time is a step in the right direction. Whether it be watching CNN 10, giving students time to read news articles of choice, or even simply having a class discussion about prominent news stories, Communication Time is an untapped market for reinforcing the urgency of keeping up-to-date with local, national and worldwide news. This freedom to expose students to a variety of different news would allow teachers to tailor conversations based on interests and the class itself.

Therefore, I urge teachers and students alike to take initiative in implementing this proposition because if done correctly, we as a community can create a more engaging and informed version of Staples that is better suited to be productive members of society.