Post date: Nov 16, 2017 11:18:33 PM
As a junior at Iona, study periods most certainly have saved my academic life countless times. There have been times in study hall when last minute changes to projects were completed and homework that slipped my mind was finished. In study halls, I have also found myself having the opportunity to take a breath and maybe review some material for a test later in the day.
Study periods have quite simply reduced my stress very much over my high school career, and many others agree with me. This is why when I learned that I had no study periods in my schedule this year, I was concerned.
From talking to many of my friends from other schools, I learned that they had many more study periods than I do. I began to ask myself, why is that?
Some may argue that study periods lead to students wasting time and being unproductive. But this is a falsity; many students in reality are productive in study periods. According to the Daily Gael survey of 230 Iona students, 84.72% of students do homework and/or study for tests in study periods. The majority of students do use study halls effectively.
Some may argue, as well, that study periods take away from valuable class time. One must ask himself, however, are study periods not valuable too?
Many students believe that study periods are valuable due to a study period’s impact on a student’s grades. According to the Daily Gael’s Survey, 94.78% of students believe that study periods are beneficial to their grades. This is a logical idea; study halls provide students with an opportunity to finish or revise homework and to review material for a test. As well, who is more aware of what is beneficial to a student’s grade than the student?
The value of study periods can also be found in how they prepare a high school student for college. In college, the professors are relatively hands off. Most of the responsibility for a student’s grades lies on the student. College professors, for example, will most likely not pressure a student to take notes or do homework. Students in college have to be more independent learners. Increased study periods will simulate this environment. Students would have to make due with less teacher instruction and do more independent work. Students with more study halls would have to become more independent learners, taking more notes by themselves and working more without teacher assistance. Study halls prepare students for college by forcing students to take more responsibility for their grades.
Some students also are naturally more inclined to some material than others. For example, some students may need to spend more time on math than history. Study periods allow them to do this. In class time, a student is forced to be learning a specific subject for the same amount of time as other subjects, even if he already has a firm grasp on the material. Study halls allow students to apportion their time more effectively, since the student knows what he struggles with better than anyone else.
Regardless of whether or not study halls are valuable to academics. They obviously reduce a student’s stress. Logically, an unstructured period is less intense than structured class time with a teacher. According to the Daily Gael’s survey, 97.39% of Iona students believe that study periods do reduce stress. Is it terrible if a student’s stress is reduced?
I asked some students from other schools what they thought about study periods. This is what a sophomore at Holy Child had to say about the matter:
How many study periods do you have in your schedule?
I have 5 study periods in a 5-day cycle.
Do you believe study periods are beneficial to your grades? Why?
I believe that study periods are very beneficial to both grades and mental health because, especially for students doing extracurriculars, such as sports or music lessons, there is often not very much time for all the work given each week, and frees can give some more time to finish up any work, or meet with a teacher if you are struggling and are busy after school.
Do free periods help reduce your stress? Why?
Free periods greatly help reduce my stress because they give me an opportunity to see teachers when I am having trouble or have any questions; they allow me to get ahead or catch up on any work I may have, and if, by some miracle, I do not have any work or teachers to meet with, they can serve as a time to take a deep breath, calm down, and gather my thoughts.
What do you find yourself doing in most free periods?
Though I occasionally spend my free periods talking to friends, I often spend my time either studying for a test, doing homework, or organizing my schoolwork.
A junior from Ursuline expressed similar sentiments:
How many study periods do you have in your schedule?
I have 2 every other day, in a 10 day cycle.
Do you believe study periods are beneficial to your grades? Why?
Yes, because I can get a head start on my homework, so I don’t have to work really late, therefore jeopardizing my sleep. And if I don’t have any homework to work on, I can use that period to read and other enjoyable things I generally can’t do if I’m busy at home.
Do free periods help reduce your stress? Why?
Yes, because it takes the pressure off from trying to fit several hours of work into one night.
What do you find yourself doing in most study periods?
I mostly will be doing my homework or studying for any tests I have coming up later that day or week.
Study halls have many positive attributes and students at Iona would benefit from an increased number of them. Study periods are beneficial to a student’s grades, are times of productivity, prepare students for college, allow students to allocate their time more effectively, and they reduce a student’s stress. Students from other schools with more study periods than Iona also only had good things to say about them. I believe that adding one more study period per-cycle or making the cycles themselves shorter would be greatly beneficial to the whole Iona community.
-Matthew Hono 19'