The question on every trojan’s mind on Wednesdays and Fridays is ‘What period tutorial is it?’ This year, they’ve found that the answer is never ‘seventh-period tutorial’. As the school year progresses, tutorials have run through a constant cycle. However, this year, a minor adaptation has been made where the administration has made the executive decision to exclude seventh-period tutorials from the rotation. 

TL’s principal, Katy Dunlap explains, “The reasoning is we currently have about 20% of our students enrolled in a seventh period, so with 80% of the students not having a class to go to, it makes it really chaotic when we were rotating through the seventh period.” This decision has more or less affected the student body as well as staff members, whether they have a seventh-period class or not.

From the perspective of students and staff with a seventh period, the loss of a seventh period may mean the loss of time to do classwork or potentially limit teachers’ use of tutorial time as extra class time. TL English Teacher Mackenzie Bedford explains that she has a seventh-period class and that it hasn’t affected her much so far because it’s relatively early in the school year. Bedford states, “When we had research assignments and I wanted people to work on it in class, and class time was not enough time, we would dedicate entire tutorials to doing research.” Bedford goes on to explain that if she decides to do that very same project this year, then she’d have to factor in the lack of a seventh-period tutorial and may have to run the class itself very differently.

From a student perspective, some may be upset that they no longer have a built-in work period where they can get direct help from their teachers, especially if they have a core class like math, science, or English. However, for others, they may not feel as much of an impact, especially if they’ve never had a seventh period before. TL freshman Molly Burke explains that she has biology for her seventh period, but reveals, “It hasn’t really affected me in any way because I haven’t had a seventh-period tutorial [in the past] because I’m a freshman.”

For teachers and students without a seventh period, the impact differs. TL English teacher Emily Lichty explains that her free third-period tutorial provides her a break to grade and plan classes without having students present. Having the free seventh-period tutorial likewise would’ve allowed more opportunity to, as Lichty says, “take a breath, make copies, grade, or plan for what’s ahead.” However, she understands the administration’s reasoning behind the removal while sympathizing with teachers who do have a seventh, explaining, “If I had a seventh, however, I would be a bit frustrated. This is mainly because of the lost opportunity to check in with kids in that class.”

Students without a seventh period have likely experienced many of the same effects as teachers without a seventh. TL senior Elaina Lee explains that due to their busy schedule, it makes it difficult to spend time with her friends. “At the beginning of the year, we made a plan that depended on our hangout time being during the free seventh-period tutorial we all had and now that we do not have that time, I feel like I never see my friends.” Lee also sympathizes with people who have a seventh and no longer have that set time to seek help from their seventh-period teachers.

Though it may seem sudden for some, Dunlap explains, “We used to not do a rotation, including seventh. About six years ago, we started it when we had more students taking a seventh, and now we are reevaluating and see we have so few, that was kinda the reasoning.” In addition to that, Bedford brings up the point that there is some sort of precedent in the zero period. As there are few students with a zero period, it hasn’t been included in the tutorial rotation.

As seen, students and staff alike have experienced vast changes in planning around the vacant seventh-period tutorial, whether it be mentally, physically, or socially. However, the administration has made its decision in the best interest of students and staff to make sure that all students have a place to be during tutorial time!