A 45-minute block taken out of our day each Wednesday, FLEX activities host rallies, assemblies, and more on campus. However, there’s one question I always seem to have: when are we going to have office hours?
When I was a freshman, office hours weren’t something I viewed as a necessity. At that point, I didn’t have much homework or need any help that would utilize the 45-minute study session.
It wasn’t until junior year that my need for office hours began to consume my every waking thought. With more homework, more AP Classes, and more extracurriculars, I began to realize just how important office hours could be. Natalia Chavez ‘24 puts it best: “So many of us have extracurriculars that don’t allow us to see teachers as often, and having time during school can really benefit our busy schedules.” Merely getting one or two assignments done in that 45 minutes became so vital. At the same time, however, it seemed as though office hours were appearing less and FLEX activities were more commonly something else, such as Wellness Wednesdays. Yet it’s important to note that Wellness Wednesdays can have major benefits, as Ms. Marquez explains, “They bring our faculty and staff opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. They also give opportunities to learn about overall mental health and how your body and brain work.”
But going into senior year, it feels to me like we’ve had office hours only a handful of times. With an even greater workload and the addition of college applications, I’ve often wondered what I could get done if I had more time. Having more office hours sessions could mean going to bed an hour earlier, going on a walk, or even spending time with more family, for example.
Overall, it seems that many would at least agree with the usefulness of office hours, such as Emma Samuelson ‘27, who agrees, “It gives us time to ask our teachers questions and get help on whatever we need.”
Yet not everyone would agree with my sentiment that we need more office hours. While Arabella Nuenes ‘27 agrees that office hours are helpful, she shares, “I think we have enough office hours, to be honest.” Whether the desire for more office hours differs between grade level, involvement, or something else, it’s important to note that my view isn’t the only one on campus.
What seems to be the majority opinion is that there needs to be a better balance between office hours and activities. With the importance of mental health on campus, there doesn’t need to be an elimination of Wellness Wednesdays; simply having more office hours to balance the Wellness Wednesdays could make a big difference. Nia Delacruz ‘24 explains, “I believe that there should be more FLEX time dedicated to office hours because it is an established time for students to get extra help from teachers. However, I think we should also include other areas where students don’t need office hours, like rooms with wellness activities.”
I’d like to propose a few more ideas. First, maybe make a few of the assemblies or rallies optional, especially for those with more AP/Honors classes. Or add a mini office hours/homework session to Wellness Wednesday to allow those who are stressed out to get more done (it’s happened before!). Or, more simply, I’d love just a few more office hours sessions! I know not everyone seems to need them, but for those of us who do, I can confidently say that we would greatly appreciate it.
