Each morning at 9:30, the TWHS announcements are expected to be read aloud in every classroom in the building. Every Wednesday during second period there are homeroom lessons planned, but do students actually pay attention and take the lessons to heart? With this most recent homeroom’s epic fail, how do students really feel about it?
Senior, Chloe King, almost never gets to hear the announcements in the morning. Her teacher rarely reads the announcements, and now that the speaker system doesn’t reach the LEM or the third floor of the new building, her chances of hearing them are much slimmer. When it comes to homeroom, King participates when the activity is a craft or a fun game.
“I do love to participate, though, when there are fun crafts or games!” King explains. “But other than that if it is a presentation I feel like people most of the time don’t pay attention and think it’s a waste of time.”
The differing schedules can also mix up many peoples’ day, especially if their teacher refuses to complete the homeroom activity or if they could have used the extra time for things like homework. Although homeroom activities vary, there are a plethora of presentations that have many lacking motivation to participate. Another senior, Meredith Button, hears the announcements every day and participates in homeroom every Wednesday.
“ I like the class it’s in,” Button says about homeroom activities. “My teacher encourages us to participate.”
Button thinks many of the activities are fun to do, but that some could be improved to be more engaging.
Sophomore, Gabby Zimmerman, has the same experience as King. Her teacher skips over announcements and homeroom both.
“We never do homeroom activities, and use the time for class,” Zimmerman says. “I think the activities are a waste of time because they’re teaching us things we already know when we could be using it for extra class time.”
Junior, Sophia Hoffman, has had both ends of the spectrum. During her freshman year, her teacher skipped over every single homeroom, however, in the past two years her second-period teachers have been very enthusiastic and adamant about it. Hoffman feels differently than her teachers though.
“My teacher always makes us do the homeroom,” Hoffman explains. “I never want to do them, and I think there’s so many other, better, things we could be doing.”
Assistant Principal, Mr. Thornhill, is a part of crafting homeroom lessons and gives his take on why exactly we do homeroom.
“ It’s a great vehicle to promote our culture at TWHS; it creates a space to talk about students’ sense of belonging,” Thornhill says. “Your voice is the most important one.”
However, the lack of participation is still a school-wide issue with many students thinking that homeroom is a complete waste of time.
“I think one way to increase participation is to increase student voice and increase a sense of belonging by letting students lead,” Thornhill explains.
Homeroom can be a fun time to learn new things, but participation is the most important way to enjoy the lessons and learn about yourself in the process, not to mention the preparation for adult life skills that homeroom offers. It is an integral way to show students that they are the key to their own success, but the challenge of getting them involved still remains.
