OP-ED

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*(NEW)*Full E.L.T. Period Plea

Op-Ed Newspaper Club Article:

Full E.L.T. Period Plea

By Peter A. Correa

“I don’t have enough time! I wish I had more time!” Isn’t that something we’ve all said or thought about before? With school work, middle schoolers get a big amount of work as they get older. And, when classwork doesn’t get done in class, it becomes homework. So, when there’s a chance to get work done in school, it’s important to students. This is especially true because most kids are involved in one or more after school activities. That means there’s even less time to complete homework at home.

Extended learning time or E.L.T., is when an extra in-school learning opportunity is given to students. But, right now students are required to read for half the period and then they are given their study hall time to meet with a teacher, complete work, or keep on reading. Students have many opportunities to read (even during school hours): on the bus, at lunch, or even during some classes. 

What students need more of is time - to finish classwork, work on projects with a partner or group, get homework done in school, meet with a teacher or just read. An easy solution to this problem is making E.L.T. a full class period where the student decides how to best take advantage of the gift of time. Reading is important too, but kids know more easily how to find time to read than to complete work. In fact, when kids want or need to read, they’ll find the time even in the most distracting of places like the cafeteria. However, homework, classwork or even group work requires more focus and time that a structured environment provides. It’s something that once you get going, you need to finish it and the extra time given in E.L.T. allows students to complete work well. So, it’s my recommendation that E.L.T. be offered as a full period to work and read only if the student chooses to do so.