Overbooked With Too Much Work

How does the lack of having a study hall affect you after your school day? As many know, study hall is a chance where you can use time in a school day to do homework. This prevents you from having to do your work at home while you’re doing extra curricular activities. In RIS, while the 6th and 7th graders are heading home with less homework due to their privilege of having a study hall, 8th graders have to choose whether they want a jam packed work day or a good night sleep. As Annie Nitschke, an 8th grader in RIS explained, “I have sports almost all of the time after school and I like to go to bed around 10 except sometimes it’s almost impossible to complete my school work while also trying to manage my sleep schedule.”Another 8th grader, Vannesa Norton says “I think 8th graders should have study hall because we have more work than the other grades and we’re under more pressure for high school, also if you’re going into private school you need to study and keep your grades up.” It’s important to have a study hall for all grades in RIS. A 6th grader, Sophia Fernandez, stated,“Study hall has been a great thing since they added it. I feel like 8th graders should be able to have it because it’s a good time to work on homework and relax from the normal activities that we have to do.” Clearly there’s a lot of controversy on how 8th graders should be allowed study hall. The evidence from the student body shows that not having study halls is not only a problem, it’s also a drawback from success not only academically but also physically. The current situation RIS is running is unnecessary and unfair. This is because giving 6th and 7th graders time to have a little balance in their lives, 8th graders are stuck trying to juggle between work, after school activities and their need for good sleep. Ultimately, adding a study hall has been great for most grades in RIS, however excluding the older students causes an unhealthy balance between everything in their lives. To make sure 8th graders can control a healthy combo of their physical and mental health, RIS must give the privilege for 8th graders to have a study hall.