Student work days are the fresh breath we all needed
By Kendra Martinez, Staff Writer
A break from long excruciating hours of Zoom is like going for a breath of fresh air after being inside a stuffy house all day. Student workdays are exactly that; they were introduced at the end of last semester as a day for students to catch up on any missing assignments, and honestly, they offer more than just a catch up day. Students can use the day to partake in their favorite hobbies or to catch up with friends; really, student workdays are a fresh break.
For many of us, regular Wednesdays are emotionally and physically draining. It’s no secret that being on Zoom and listening to a lecture is no fun and can drain someone out really quickly. Additionally, the allotted 35 minutes for each class is simply not enough for a full lesson or to provide sufficient information students will understand. It is especially difficult when students are tired from having been logged onto Zoom or Google Meet for the entire day. The difference between a block day of Zoom class and a Wednesday of Zoom classes, students actually have time to digest and comprehend what they learn on block days. On the usual Wednesdays, we spend one third of the day moving from one class to another rather than learning.
Student work days offer students the solution to the monotony of a typical Wednesday schedule. Having that extra day to catch up on assignments or to simply take a break from the computer screen has been beneficial to the mental health of many students. The new semester also brought in a new version of student workdays: extended support days. On these days, teachers are able to sign students up for a 15 minute appointment with them to provide additional help if the student is struggling in the class. This way, extended support days provide additional one-on-one support and a day for students to let the information they learned on Monday and Tuesday sink in to be better prepared to learn new material on Thursday and Friday.
“I very much enjoy student work days. I have time to catch up on a ton of work and if I don’t have anything, it’s a welcome break,” Maxine Knystautas (’21) said.
Along with the student body, the Samo teachers themselves appreciate the benefits of student work days.
“I prefer the extended support day because I enjoy getting to check in with students and just talk and see how they are doing, where I don’t really get to do that during the teaching day or the student work day,” English teacher Andrea Shore said.
In the end, student work days and extended student support days have been a great addition to online learning. They provide a break for students to breathe in an already tiresome environment. They have proven to be beneficial to students’ mental health and have had a positive effect on overall work submission. Even though there are only a few student work days this semester, they most certainly are welcomed with open arms by the student body.