“Sometimes it’s just not possible,” Sophomore Cam Frank says, “on top of the fact that we may need to go to our lockers, or the bathroom.”
The worst part is that even if you show up 10 seconds after the bell rings, many teachers act as if you just murdered an infantile koala bear.
What makes the three-minute dash a truly impossible feat, however, are three main obstacles.
The first being the large numbers of students that congregate in the halls, blocking my progress.
Senior Dean Oliver says, “I don’t see why standing in the middle of a hall with a group of nine friends is a necessity.”
You’re not sightseeing in Venice. Get out of my way. I always wonder why certain students think the top of a staircase, or the entrance of a doorway, is a good place to tie their shoe, send a text, or play tonsil hockey with a significant other. These are all activities that are to be done in a place that doesn’t interrupt my path from point A to point B.
There is one thing that’s even worse than flocks of poorly placed students. This brings me to reason number two. Students walking at a snail’s pace, and causing a traffic jam.
I’m not saying that everyone needs to transform into Usain Bolt while in the hallway, but please walk at a decent pace so that everyone can get to class on time. Science teacher Mrs. Potters says, “You know you are walking slowly when a pregnant woman who’s twice your age can get to the office and back before you make it half way there.”
Oliver has a slightly unorthodox solution to this problem: “Fast walking people should be able to carry cattle prods.”
Although I’d like nothing more than to electrically jolt the person who walks slowly in front of me, it’s not appropriate in school. One solution I’ve found to be effective is stepping on the back of their ankles. If you’ve ever been the recipient of one of these “flat tires,” you should probably consider walking quicker.
On a slightly unrelated note…How come girls never seem to lift their feet when they walk, but instead slide them along the floor? I’m pretty sure those Ugg Boots are lightweight. Lift them up a little.
The final thing that really grinds my gears is the people that are not only walking slowly, but are wearing an enormous backpack, and prohibiting me from walking past them. Bear Grylls, what are you carrying in there? I’m waiting for them to open it up and a raft starts inflating.
Walking behind these large turtle-shaped people angers me to no end. Sometimes, on the stairs, their camping equipment will hit me in the shins, and they turn and look at me like I just smothered their grandmother.
Senior Charlotte Murphy asks, “Why don’t they just go to their locker?”
The answer is simple. These students don’t have enough time to go to their lockers. That’s why I firmly believe we need more time in between classes.
A solution to solve this problem would be to extend the amount of time in between classes. As it stands right now, students have three minutes to get to class before the late slips appear.
Senior Maria Russo thinks “five minutes is too much, but four minutes would be perfect.” I agree wholeheartedly. This would consequently end school a little later, but I honestly think it would be worth it.
Sophomore Cam Frank offers another idea to remedy this problem. Frank says, “I believe the school should extend the locker break after third period to 10 minutes.”
Although the idea of one concentrated break is interesting, I believe the socializing could get out of control, and the bathrooms could get too crowded, further delaying everyone.
There are rumors circulating of a change in the BHS scheduling in the near future. Although I don’t know any specifics, we can only hope the changes include more time for hallway travel.
For now, I think the best solution is to simply try your best to get to class on time. If removing the piano from your back is what it takes, then so be it. All I’m saying is that BHS is a pretty big building, and I have places to get to that don’t involve looking at the back of your head.
Jim - Great post on the issue of hallway traffic, etc. I am excited about talk of a schedule change as well. Who should I see to put in my two cents?
ReplyDeleteBy the way,I love the Devil's Advocate being on-line!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had to re-post to use my real name...
ReplyDeleteBrilliantly written!! This is the first half of my sophomore year, from the history hall to the health hall, back to history and I never got there on time! I wouldn't mind staying in school another 10 - 15 minutes so the time in between classes could be extended. Another thing that I have thought of is, get rid of log period, extend lunch and time between classes, the rotation schedule never made much sense with so many other viable uses for the extra half hour.