Last year, Mount Vernon High introduced students to Major Time: a class period which greatly changed 3rd period. Instead of going to third period every day, students had thirty minutes of sustained silent reading, and then students could take a pass to see a teacher if they needed to make up work, redo a quiz, or just get some work done.
Now, it's a little different. SSR is still 30 minutes and students can still use the golden passes, but now the system varies from day to day. Monday and Wednesday golden passes are still used to see one teacher, like last year. Tuesday and Thursday students have the opportunity to see two teachers after reading. A second bell tells students when to move to the teacher. Also, no students can get passes on Fridays. Fridays instead will be used for any activities assigned in Major Time.
So why the changes? Was it not working for too many people? Was the system flawed? As it turns out, plans were being made last spring for changes to Major Time. According to Mrs. King, the administration was having problems with Major Time because students would take a pass, but never go to their class, or use the same passes over and over again. She said, however, "I don't want to take Major Time away."
As much as it is a chance for students to improve their grades, Mrs. King sees Major Time as an opportunity for teachers "to build relationships with students." Mrs. King believes that the changes will help to have a "more positive impact."
As part of the changes to Major Time, Mrs. King is introducing a plan to help reward good students who do well and aren't late to class. She plans to install two flat-screen TVs in the cafeteria, along with a popcorn machine. She said that, "I want kids to understand the process."
Just the same as there will be rewards for the good students, Mrs. King plans to have teachers shut doors at 9:30. If students aren't where they should be, they can't move between classes for the rest of the quarter. She hopes this will help keep students out of the halls and in class.
Mrs. King doubts the new changes will be subject to change anytime soon. The system may not be perfect, but it reflects the school's bigger goal, to help boost our SAT's.
