How useful is flex time?

As we all know, Aurora High has introduced a flex time schedule this year. This forty five minute gap in our day is intended to assist students in getting work done, getting extra help in a specific subject, studying for a test or even exploring your own interests.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about flex time because I have study hall and lunch right in a row which gives

an extra hour and a half to get work done. Sometimes, if I get slammed with work, then flex time is useful.

Flex time can be helpful when I have a lot of work to do and I will not have time to get it done that night. It’s also nice to be able to work with my peers and ask them questions on specific subjects. Not only can I get a jump start on my homework, but I can also use that time to read a book.

I really enjoy reading, but I usually do not have time to read or get into a book because I am too busy doing homework so flex time allows me to take time to myself and have a nice break in my day.

On the other hand, there are also times when I have no work to get done. I normally have enough time to get things done which I think a lot of others will agree. While observing what others do during their flex time, it usually consists of them talking to their friends or watching Netflix.

Not all students do this, but I would say a good chunk of kids do not take advantage of the time given. Also, our school has had a lot of schedule challenges which has interfered with the flex times. Quite honestly, I find it very irritating because flex time is something that is suppose to be given to us to get work done, but recently it has been taken away due to other assemblies or homeroom.

To go along with everything else, I think the app could use some work as well. For starters, when flex time was first introduced to us, we were told that we would have freedom to go anywhere in the school, only to find out that there is a list of teachers that we can choose from. Yes, we can get passes to leave, but then we cannot go back to the room or leave again.

That all being said, I feel like flex time could be a good thing if they kept it consistent. I think that if it was consistent then people might take more advantage and appreciate the time more. It is a great concept, but I think there are changes that need to be made to make them successful.