Yes, you’ve probably heard it all before. “Mr./Ms. please let us have more passing period time!”. Aside from the begging, why should we really have longer passing periods to get from class to class?

    To begin, the gorgeous building students are privileged to use is very large, meaning walking from one end of a hallway to another can take up to 4 minutes alone. Having a passing period of 5 minutes cuts it very close for enough time to get to my locker. It takes time to get books, change out binders, and open your locker door so you will probably be barely on time or late. Students reading this have definitely heard the “get to class” and “no running” announcements that teachers scream in the halls, but if we had 1-2 more minutes of time, we wouldn’t have to run to get to class on time

    Secondly, bathroom breaks are needed. Students are still human and many teachers across our school have made a no bathroom rule or you can only use the restroom a certain amount of times this year. Going to the bathroom during class periods can take up to 7 minutes depending on where we are. Going up from the basement to the girl’s bathroom is at least a 3-minute walk just to get there which takes up even more time for learning. Realistically, adding only 2 minutes to our passing period allows us to have time to go to the bathroom and get to class because that’s a 7-minute chunk of time. This would also only take 2 minutes off every class rather than 5-10

     In addition, teachers and staff also must consider the social piece of hallway time. Socializing in class doesn’t really get to happen often. The easiest way for kids to chat with their friends is by seeing them in the halls to catch up. With different lunches some students don’t get to sit with their main friends or group meaning the time they have to talk in the halls is very sacred. Having more time in the halls can allow kids to do that and focus better knowing they can be on time and also stop to talk to their buddies.