Homerooms that consist of a singular grade were introduced to Mount Michael at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. In theory, this makes sense to promote class unity, but it makes little to no sense for older classes like seniors and juniors because we have been together, creating the brotherhood, for the past three to four years. There is some benefit to be had for sophomores and freshmen in the homeroom. They can build connections with some teachers that they have not yet had and with classmates they are not yet close with. While there are some benefits to be found in homerooms, there are much better options.
In my opinion, high schoolers should not be coloring when they can be doing homework, studying, or just taking time to regather their thoughts after a stressful couple of days. Because the administration took away our beloved late starts, the least they can do is give the students another “study hall.” In a survey that was sent out to the students, there was a common trend. Several students called for some sort of free time or study hall. Many students feel that a brain break is needed. After all, school is stressful for many students and the additional workload from many AP and honors classes is difficult. The time allotted for homerooms could be used for a “brain break.” The administration could give the teachers power to show a movie or just give some free time to decompress.
Although homerooms may never be removed from Mount Michael, it is clear that some students do not enjoy homerooms. A staggering 55% of the 77 students who answered the survey viewed homerooms as an unproductive use of time. Now, students’ opinions on homerooms are largely dependent on the homeroom teacher. The fact of the matter is that some homeroom teachers make better use of the time given than other teachers. Still, a majority of students do not view them as productive, and many students responded in a survey saying that they would rather have free time, early outs, late starts and even just free time on campus. It seems that most students would be willing to relinquish homerooms for other activities.
Even if homerooms are here to stay, the students have some suggestions. A large portion of the students who responded to the survey wanted homerooms of mixed classes. Others wanted to keep the current structure or even freshman and sophomores together in homerooms and juniors and seniors together in other homerooms. Regardless of the structure, I believe that homerooms with mixed grades would do the best job of promoting the renowned brotherhood. We go to school every day with people already in our class and it is hard to get to know students in other grades if a common sport or club is not shared.
