After Spring Break, advisory was changed into Jag Time, where each class rotates through period 4 for 43 minutes over the course of a week and a half. It connects students with their teachers for extra help in their classes; however, The Jagwire believes that this new system isn’t as effective as the Advisory and Intervention block.
The benefits of the original Advisory and Intervention model are getting lost in the new Jag Time system. Advisory served as a study hall, especially for underclassmen who don’t have the privileges of an extra study hall that 11th and 12th graders can choose. Intervention time also helped connect students with different teachers and their peers through extra practice with material in class, time to make up work, and a chance to get extra help.
Advisory was also used as an “unwinding” period for students to collect themselves from all the stress of school, serving as a time to relax, catch up on school work, and bond with their advisory teacher and classmates. With the development of Jag Time, students are constantly working, rather than bonding with classmates and teachers. We are human. We are not robots. We can only take in so much until we eventually reach a pinnacle. A crack. Advisory provided the time students needed to deal with the stress of school.
Now that students don’t have Advisory every other day, some students have trouble knowing what is happening in the school now since they don’t have the constant reminders from the announcement slideshows. While announcements are supposed to be shown during sixth period, some students are more focused on their classwork rather than the slides.
Various tutoring programs which took place during advisory were severely affected by this change. Advisory time was the perfect opportunity to get and give help through NHS tutoring, the Writing Center, and other clubs. Some students even found peers to help them in Advisory, helping them bond and help one another. Not everyone can stay after to retake a test or get help with a teacher. Although many teachers are willing to stay after school to help students, other teachers can’t stay after due to other responsibilities outside of school.
The new Jag Time schedule was presented as a cure for students skipping intervention; however, won’t students who are willing to skip a class be just as likely to skip Jag Time?
We acknowledge that it took the administration and teachers a lot of time to complete the Intervention list every other day, but it was worth it because it allowed students to get help or make up tests as soon as they needed to.
Now, only having about 40 minutes per rotation spread out over one to two weeks causes more problems because it is not long enough to make up a full test and have more one-on-one time with a teacher. Additionally, students now have to wait until their class rotates through Jag Time to make up missed tests, sometimes forgetting the material because they have to wait so long.
Advisory and Intervention was truly beneficial for students, but Jag Time is inefficient and less helpful. The new system is causing more problems rather than solutions for students and teachers due to the little time they spend with one another during the week. The Jagwire staff believes we should return to the old Advisory and Intervention system next year, seeing as many students found it more beneficial to their education.
