Mid-morning at Truckee High School students are rushing to their next class. They dawdle in the hallways chatting with friends, impatiently explaining the ‘tea’ from their previous period. Others look confused, their eyes searching the walls or fatigued expressions of boredom stretched across their faces. Teachers seem to be relieved for a silent period, or downcast as they know in a few minutes they will have to lecture these kids on their health.
This is what it looks like on the last three-day-per week class of Student Success (SS) at Truckee High School. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday students join together in their link crew groups to share a long trifling thirty to forty minutes of reading, academic help, or band practice. On Wednesday, they might get to visit some school rallies and or have the occasional fire drill.
But is it worth it? Some classes don’t even focus on reading or homework time. With the new 2024-25 SS schedule changed, is the time really being used up valuably? Or is it overrun by fire drills, rallies, reading and more?
Megan Rosenblatt, Government and Human Geography teacher at THS says, “Overall, I think there are advantages and disadvantages to Student Success. I think the extra homework time is valuable, but I don’t know if it helps students manage stress or social emotional learning. I don’t feel like the emphasis is really on literacy and reading, but I like that SS is shorter this year.”
This year students at Truckee High School spend more time reading in their SS classes. Developing the habit of reading in teenagers has shown that they are more likely to succeed in this complex world and understand adult issues. Research in the National Library of New Zealand has said, “Continuing the habit of reading, widely, into their teenage years helps teens to: understand some of the adult issues they will have to grapple with.”
Two freshmen at Truckee High School, Isla Hunt and Larkyn Haugan shared their ideas on Student Success. Hunt, who is in the school band states, “Overall I think it is ok, it’s good for the band because then we get an opportunity to play with a larger group. We don’t have any extra homework time, but I still like it.”
When both students were asked about whether SS impacted their social emotional learning or experience they replied with, “Not at all.” As Haugan states, “It depends on if you have a friend in that class or something else.”
Social Emotional Learning, or SEL, helps students ages K-12 learn time management, cope with stress, peer pressure, solve problems efficiently and increase the behaviors of students and their well-being.
“I feel like what you are going to see is that as the year goes on there will be plenty of social emotional learning days. I do think that the break in the day where kids can read, can work on homework, and maybe even socialize for a short period of time is useful and valuable.” David Cary, math teacher at THS expressed.
So as Truckee High School is underlining the focus on reading and SEL, is it helping students this year? Should the high school be putting the spotlight more on homework as they did in previous years?
The extra work time for students can be an important asset to their daily life. This year there are fewer days where students can work on extra assignments or do make-up work. Should Student Success be longer?
The class period in which Truckee High School students get to read, practice, and uplift their academics has changed. As the school year goes on students and staff have yet to see whether the new schedule affects students academically and mentally more than it did years before. So, has Student Success at Truckee High changed for the better or for the worse?