Hump Day! The day that marks the middle of the week, but more importantly, gives LT kids extra sleep. 

On Wednesdays, school starts at 9:15 a.m. compared to the usual 7:45 a.m. This means that periods on Wednesdays are cut 15 minutes from the normal 48-minute period, leaving them 33 minutes long. The only periods that are not cut are the lunch periods, fourth and fifth, which remain 55 minutes long. With shorter class periods, teachers have to rush their lessons, stop in the middle… the list goes on. Is it really worth teaching new lessons on Wednesdays just to rush through them, leaving kids confused? 

LION thinks not. 

There should be no new material taught on Wednesdays because the periods are not long enough to effectively introduce new topics. Teachers often complain about the short periods as they frequently have to stop mid-lesson, frustrating both students and teachers. Often, short periods on Wednesdays lead to overflowing Thursdays as teachers rush to cram in what they missed the day before on top of the lesson for the day. This leaves students puzzled and stressed because teachers are rushing through the new material and not giving students ample time to process it. 

Also, on Wednesdays, there is usually not enough time to practice the new information being taught. For instance, teachers will teach the new material but cut out the example problems or practice time. For students, example problems in subjects such as math or science are crucial for understanding. These problems allow students to see what they understand from the lesson. Also, in subjects such as English, time to practice a new writing skill or to read a chapter or text can be extremely beneficial, especially with the teacher present as a resource. 

Due to fourth and fifth periods remaining 55 minutes long on late start days, a student who, for instance, has math first period gets 33 minutes in class on Wednesdays, while a student who has fourth period math gets 55 minutes. If you don’t think 20 minutes in class makes a huge difference, you are wrong. These 20 minutes allow for extra practice and more in-depth explanations of the material. Is it fair for kids in periods other than fourth and fifth to get less time to practice the new material?

Some people argue that even though periods are shorter on Wednesdays, it is still class time that teachers should use to teach. While this is true, it doesn’t mean that teachers need to teach new material on Wednesdays. Instead, teachers can use the abbreviated periods to review prior lessons, go over homework problems, complete example problems, and provide clarification on previous material. Teaching new material on Wednesdays is hard on students and teachers alike; therefore, new material should not be taught on Wednesdays.