At Weston High school, the debate about the value of study halls as part of students’ schedules is becoming increasingly relevant, especially with the upcoming shift to the 10-day rotation schedule. This has led administrators and members of the school committee to question why students have so many blocks that aren’t dedicated to guided learning. Many students, however, rely on study halls to help them complete required work.

    I believe that study halls can be effective for learning if used properly. They are helpful to students at WHS as they provide a quiet space to get work done and to take a break between classes. 

    Students are assigned study halls in their schedule for numerous reasons. Some students have one block of their schedule dedicated to study halls as they feel that works best for them to keep up with their work. As a freshman, I have study halls to fill the free blocks left by my health or digital literacy class, depending on what quarter it is.

    “I heavily rely on drop block study halls, as they are a great resource for me to get my work done,” said freshman Lillian Ridge. 

   I think that study halls are a productive, controlled space for students to get their work done. I personally enjoy having study halls in my schedule, and like many others, I plan ahead to use that time to focus and get all of my assignments done.

   “If I ever have a class in the afternoon that I didn’t have time to do homework for the night before,  I can get my work done on time in my study hall,” said Ridge.

    I believe that in addition to the strong academic assistance study halls provide, there is also a prominent social aspect of study halls. I often see people being productive while also socializing with others during their study hall blocks, and it warms my heart every time. 

   “My favorite part about study halls is getting to do my work with my friends,” said sophomore Nia Madias.

   In addition to having the chance to connect and collaborate with peers, study halls also give students an opportunity to speak with teachers and staff members, which I find to be very useful.

   “Everybody is taking the same classes, everybody gets homework, so everybody at some point won’t understand something and they’ll need to go to meet with a teacher,” said Ridge.

    For the WHS administrators who have to schedule and supervise study halls, the opportunity for students to use study halls as they see fit is valuable, but some believe it can be taken too far. 

   “Unplug, de-stress, you do you, but to spend an entire block playing a video game is definitely not what study hall is intended for,” said assistant principal Todd Whitten.

   This pattern of students using study halls in subjectively inappropriate ways can cause many teachers to become more strict with study hall rules and regulations. I disagree with this because I believe students should have the choice to use study halls in whatever way will be most productive for them to get work done. 

   “Sometimes teachers are a bit strict, and they won’t let you go to other learning spaces during study halls, such as the library,” said Madias.

   Students should not waste their time in study halls, but I also think there should be some flexibility for students to use the time to decompress if needed. Study halls can be extremely important for mental health because it is essential to allow teenagers time to breathe within the very busy school day.

   “When you’re having information that you might not be interested in forced on you for seven straight hours, it can get tiring, and then by the end of the day, your learning is not going to be as efficient,” said study hall supervisor Jackson Goldman. “Having time to do what you want to do is very important for the brain.”

   Study halls can also free up time in the evenings to help students get more sleep. I often find myself getting only a few hours of sleep due to the immense amount of work I have to do when I get home from school. Between sports, lessons, and school work, sleep sometimes falls to the bottom of my priority list. But having a study hall in my schedule always helps me get at least some of my work done, which helps me finish the rest of my work earlier that night, and this seems to be a benefit that most involved in this debate agree about.

   “I think study hall needs to be a place to do your work so you can be less stressed at home, go to bed earlier, and get better sleep,” said Whitten. 

   While I agree that study halls need to be used primarily for school work to be useful, when that is the case, I believe that students truly benefit from having them. For that reason, I hope that WHS will never restrict students’ ability to schedule an appropriate number of study halls in their schedules.