Lafayette High School only provides students with a mere five minutes to transition from class to class, which is quite problematic. Students should be provided with more time in between classes. Doing so would decrease traffic and chaos in hallways. It would also give students time to do things that would normally take time out of class.

Some people, such as principals, may argue that making this improvement would lengthen the school day. However, this actually addresses another point; with such a short, tightly packed school day, students would have a hard time remembering and processing all of the information they learn through all of their classes. They need more time to allow for less hallway congestion and to get important things done.

To begin with, the hallways would be less crowded. It is common knowledge that crowded hallways are very problematic and stressful to students. The difficulty of moving around in the traffic causes tardiness and chaos. People have been late to class and have been punished because of the trouble they have with maneuvering in hallways from class to class. Congested hallways are also unsafe because people can bump into and trip over each other.

Students know that hallways are always a sea of other students, and feel as if they cannot control the tides. Class transitions have become traffic jams. However, if students had more time to transition classes, they would not be in as much of a rush. This means that there would be less traffic because less students would be in the halls. Some students would still be in classrooms, and some would be doing things they would usually do during lessons. Overall, this would provide a safer, less hectic environment.

Moreover, students would have time to do things that would typically be done during class time. Students would no longer have to stress over when they will be able to do something without interrupting their schedule. For instance, the average healthy person should use the restroom at least 6-7 times a day, but it is practically impossible for a student to go during class because of the policy that students can only use the restroom 4 times a semester. With extra transition time, students can go to the bathroom between classes and stay hydrated.

Students can also use transition time to take care of tasks such as meeting with a teacher, going to the office, calling their parents, making up an assignment, going to their locker, etc. It takes an enormous toll on both students and teachers when a student misses and interrupts class, but with more time between classes, this will not have to happen.

There are people who will dispute the idea of more transition time. Some people will say that increasing time between classes would lengthen the school day. While this is a valid claim, it brings about another problem with such a short transition time. With classes so close together, it is difficult for students to understand and remember all of the content they have been taught. Their minds should have breaks between each of their subjects to process what was learned, instead of having to run from class to class. It is a bigger problem to have an overworked brain than to have to stay at school slightly later.

People may also say that students wouldn’t be able to handle the extra time responsibly. However, the extra time is more likely to train students to manage their time. Also, many high schools are adding more college-like policies and programs, so what not also give students more time, like college students have?

Students must have more time between classes because they need time to process information learned, to actually be able to move from class to class, and to take care of tasks that would normally take time out of class. Students’ school lives would be much more enriched- not only healthier and safer, but happier- if they had more time in between classes.