Students and staff have debated about whether or not work should be assigned in advisory classes.
Advisory class was created during the founding class of 2004. The classes were constructed so all four grades would take it.
Assistant Principal Sowiski said, “Advisory used to be structured a little bit differently. It was a small group for every teacher, and some non-teachers and counselors had advisors and they met every day for a small amount of time.“
Today, advisory looks different for every class. Some teachers choose to assign work for students. Other teachers use advisory as a free period or a time to take students to the park.
Advisory activities can range from being instructional to lessons about emotional and social support. Ms. Mornhinwheg’s 10th grade advisory completes projects such as information about your neighborhood and learning how to write in cursive.
Mr. Sowiski’s 12th grade advisory does weekly class circles where he asks students to take turns and discuss “glows and grows” about their week, which is anything they’re looking forward to or are nervous about the future. He does this regularly to check in on his students’ current mental state.
Most of the 10th grade advisory teachers don’t have their students completing instructional assignments with basic skills such as reading, writing and revision. However, this year policies were set to become stricter by Mr. Sowiski.
Advisory classes are intended to be structured with work assigned according to Mr. Sowiski. They were supposed to be used to conduct the activities that don’t fit into other classes.
These activities would include writing emails, career exploration and resume writing. These skills are beneficial for students’ futures.
Ninth grade student Calvin Enrique said, “I feel like it’s [advisory] a place where students should be able to relax, take a break before the next period in class.” Some students want advisory as a place to socialize.
Aarushi Bhati, junior, said, “During advisory we’re given college information to look at.” As a suggestion, she expressed that advisors should give students more support in the area of the specific career they would like to pursue.
Most teachers want students with work assigned and completed. However, classes all work differently and teachers have different amounts of responsibility.
