Current Tutorial System in Dire Need of Revisions

So what do you find yourself doing during after third period on Tuesdays? Eating, socializing, sleeping, ditching and just staring off into space are some of the most popularly pursued activities during the school’s weekly tutorial period.

Many students do not use this period efficiently and that brings up the question of whether the tutorial system we have now is a productive and necessary way to spend our school time.

Yes, there is a certain percentage of students who use the time for homework and help, but most simply see it as a period of unproductiveness. It’s almost as if the period is allotted for students to waste time.

But it is a wonder why so many, especially self-proclaimed “stressed out” students do not capitalize on tutorial to either get ahead or catch up.

“Students underutilize the time because they have trouble applying themselves and taking about the gift [of tutorial] bestowed upon them,” junior Jack Plank said.

There’s much truth to this statement. May students do not use the time well, and a sizeable portion of them do not show up at all as ditching tutorial proves to be a celebrated activity of many.

“I ditch tutorial as much as I can without getting caught,” junior Patrick Quinlisk said.

Hypothetically speaking, even if the tutorial period was a productive time, students are often deprived of it either by a fire or earthquake drill, guest speaker, diversity video, club meeting, advisory or mandatory class meetings (which seniors especially were subject to throughout the beginning of the year).

Obviously, it seems that tutorial has not and is not being used to encourage success in academics although it should be.

“Tutorial should be used to do hard, hard work,” junior Taylor Spielman said. “And to get some serious alone time with teachers.”

That is what tutorial should be; evidently that does not correspond with our Tuesday realities.

There really is not a clear solution to creating a more productive atmosphere, seeing as teachers can not mandate students do their work.

So let’s look at what the school has: A generally unfruitful tutorial period in which there are no effective measures to force students to use the time wisely. Perhaps we should seriously look into replacing it with a more worthwhile system. Either that or a much needed epiphany needs to immediately strike the student body and make them realize the value of the time given to them.

But until then, most students will not use the period effectively, procrastinate and as a whole, further amplify how tutorial can be.