Students at McAuliffe International School are rushed to get to class every day with all the things that need to get done, because of the short time, which we call passing periods. 

Freddie, a 6th grader here says “Passing periods should be 5-10 minutes. Our passing periods are a little too short; we spend most of our time opening our lockers, going to the bathroom, and trying not to be late, usually.” He continues, “I have to run to my class so I’m not late.”

Another 6th grader named Charlotte says that 8-10 minutes would be a good time for passing periods. She spends her time going to the bathroom and opening her locker. “Passing periods wouldn’t be the reason students are late,” She says, “Students are always talking and trying to avoid class for as long as possible.”

Connor, another 6th grader, says that passing periods should be 10-15 minutes. He doesn’t have enough time to go to the bathroom and other things. He spends his time talking to his friends.  He thinks passing periods would maybe be one of the reasons students are late, but another reason is students just don’t want to go to class and end up being late. 

On the other hand, there are students and teachers who think passing periods should be shorter. Some students and teachers we talked to said that passing periods should be 4 or 5 minutes long. Teachers like Ms. Esbenshade, our librarian, and Ms. Homlar a 7th grade dean, said that 5 minutes is just enough time to get your stuff and go to other classes. The only reason you should be late is if your class is far. Kids just spend their time talking to friends and messing around. Students are also supporting this idea.

Elianna, an 8th grader here at McAuliffe said that passing periods should be 4 minutes long. Her time is spent opening her locker, as well as talking to friends and walking to class. She said 5 minutes is plenty of time for her to get to class. We asked the question, “What grade would it likely be most hard to get to class on time?”

Most of the answers we got said 6th. “They are new and still learning things about the school,” said Charlotte, a 6th grader herself.

Overall, the majority of the students here at McAuliffe think that passing periods need to be longer, because it gives people more time to do the necessary things. The principal here at McAuliffe needs to listen to what students want because students have something to say.