In the Middle School, there are only five minutes allotted between classes. This means that there are only five minutes to get your stuff, fight with your locker, exchange and collect the materials you need, weave through crowds, and arrive at your class calm and composed, which is practically impossible. For most students, these five minutes are a countdown rather than a transition time. 

Imagine a common sight we have all seen: a 6th grader sprinting down the hallway in an attempt to get to class on time and dropping all of their stuff on the floor. You’ve probably turned to your friend and laughed, but can you really blame them? Who wouldn’t be running with the threat of an LOP hanging over their head?

Five minutes would be enough of a transition time if you’re walking to and from nearby classrooms, but when your schedule aligns in the worst way possible, the time never changes for your benefit. You may end up rushing to pack up your stuff in math, running down to your locker, and bolting off to band while being threatened by your teachers with the punishment of a lowered Work Habits grade that would bring your entire average crashing down.

Friendships crack under the pressure. Let’s imagine a scenario experienced by almost everyone in middle school: your friend leaves you in class because you took too long. One minute the bell rings, the next they’ve grabbed their stuff and disappeared out the door. You want to ask them “What’s the rush?” but we all know what it is: the timer hanging over your head every time the bell rings.

We’ve all walked into class past the bell. The moment you step into the classroom with no note in hand, you’re practically signing yourself an academic death sentence. The class goes silent, only interrupted by the teacher’s interrogation. “Where were you?” “Why were you late?” “Why didn’t you prepare to be here on time?” How can you explain to them that five minutes simply isn’t enough time? You can’t. 

We believe that students deserve better. We should be given ten minutes in between classes to get our stuff, talk with our friends, and calmly walk to class without rushing. 

The benefits of this change surely outweigh the harms of the status quo. Many of us have a couple points taken off of our averages due to a 75% in work habits just from being one or two minutes late. The change would ensure that these points were never lost in the first place. 

Additionally, friendships would remain steady and drama-free. Your friend would no longer be mad at you for leaving them in English class since you had to sprint to Broyles for band; students would be happier.

You might be wondering: how would these extra five minutes between each period fit into the school day? We could just revert back to our previous start time of 7:45 AM. This change alone would give us an extra thirty minutes. Additionally, we would add any remaining time to the end of the school day. Longer transition periods are well worth the sacrifice. A slightly longer but more relaxed day is better than feeling rushed all day.

An extra five minutes for transitions would simply benefit students overall. It would mean stronger friendships, grades, and relationships. We want a change now.