When transition times hit, we all hear the familiar ring of the Lakeside High School bell. A race against time. For many students, the amount of time between classes is stressful, affecting our well-being, and focus. Diving deeper into the challenges of our current transition times and why an adjustment is necessary for the entire school, and for particularly students with unique ways and physical abilities.
Lakeside student Sarai Reed (11), who experiences this pressure personally says, “One stressful thing is when I have to go from a class on one side of the school to another class on the other side of school within only a few minutes. Sarai explains, “The hallways get crowded, I feel rushed and anxious, and I often arrive late, making it hard to focus.” Her experience highlights how the current schedule is dreadful requiring more time to go all around the school.
Furthermore another student, Kimberly Tlacuait (10)adds,” I often have to duck and weave through the smaller gaps in the hallways.” Personally she says, “ It’s sad how I’m moving as fast as I can and still get bumped by taller students; it feels like a constant struggle everyday to just go where I need to go.” Kimberly shines light on the daily transition experience and the physical challenges of just walking across a short way to her class.
As I time the walk from the gym to the 1400 hallway during a quiet period, it took 1-2 minutes. However, during a typical class change with students everywhere it’s stretched to a time of three minutes. This demonstrates how important time is to get from class to class. If you had to go to the restroom or talk to a teacher the time it would get to class would be longer.
Hallways become dense and overwhelming making a swift passage to classes difficult. For students with disabilities and disadvantages these moments feel tight and pressured which is a constant struggle. Not just improving the time transition but to have a smoother passage of transportation.
Therefore I strongly recommend this adjustment to extending transition time to 5-10 minutes. This would prevent students from being late and missing instruction, while also reducing stress. More time would allow for a more smooth transition between the halls, and ensuring students have time for bathroom breaks or anything in particular. This simple change helps classrooms be prepared to learn and have an academically successful environment.
