Glenbard Hour, built-in academic and support time for students, has had its strengths in giving students the help they need but technology difficulties are making motivation for improvement scarce.
Assistant Principal of Operations, Stacy Scumaci, believes “that Glenbard Hour has the potential to move us in the right direction,” as it is a time “where kids get their own choice and can work on things they enjoy.” Scumaci also stated how Glenbard Hour is in a pretty good spot as it is but holds the potential to be even better in the future.
The new schedule was announced at the beginning of the year with plans to start the new school year with Glenbard Hour in full swing beginning every Monday and Friday. Each day can either be an Advisory period (a time for videos, drills, or team building in an assigned class), or Support period (a time where you can sign up for any class to receive help).
Senior student, Daniel Staruck, mentioned “I was questioning the schedule at first, but now that we’ve gotten used to it, I think it’s great.” Staruck, among many other upperclassmen, have utilized Glenbard Hour in just about every way they can: retaking quizzes or tests, socializing, and receiving extra help.
In contrast, Junior student, Kasper Szymczak, argues Glenbard Hour is particularly difficult to meet with teachers individually due to the cramped class sizes and having trouble with the technology.
“It’s a good idea, but sometimes I can’t sign up for classes from the app not working or it being full.” Szymczak states. “If I want help or if I need to retake something with physics, I’m usually forced to just go after school.”
Technology difficulties with Glenbard Hour is something the school has dealt with all semester. English Teacher and Instructional Coach, Nessa Slowinski, agreed with other students and staff in having frustrations with the app. She mentioned how students who need help often cannot sign up for the class they intend to, and as a result, give up. “It’s unfortunate because the students are learning to advocate for themselves, yet they lose motivation because of a minimal obstacle like the app crashing,” Slowinski said.
“I have students who email me about their frustration with classes being full because some students choose the room even if they don’t need help with that particular class,” Scumaci stated. “They might like the teacher or want to socialize with friends, which is unfortunate since it takes up room for those who are in fact advocating for themselves.”
Scumaci revealed Math and Science were the most attended subjects, a large contribution coming from various rigorous courses such as Physics, Chemistry, and Geometry.
Head Math Department Chair and Teacher, Melissa Williams, verified this due to the amount of students in her Glenbard Hour classes. “Pretty much every Support day, I will have a full class with even some extra students standing or sitting.” Williams revealed. “It’s tough to conference with each kid which may be why they signed up for the class in the first place.”
The addition of Glenbard Hour has introduced a variety of opinions from students and staff, but with the first semester of the new school year coming to a close, the implementation of the schedule has been successful with potential to be even better.
