We Need to Get the Most Out of Ac Lab
Media by Annabelle Miller
Students are required to sign into the classroom they want to go to during Ac Lab using a QR code.
It’s 12:15 p.m. on a “B” day. Students are scrolling on their phones, goofing off with friends and playing games on their Chromebooks, which leads me to wonder, are we getting the most out of Ac Lab?
This year, Rockwood brought back a version of FLEX time for High Schools with more rules and a new name: Academic Lab, commonly called Ac Lab.
One of the new policies of Ac Lab requires students to get their Ac Lab pass signed by the teacher they want to visit. Flextime was, well, more flexible, but many of the new rules accommodate COVID contact tracing.
The strict classroom environment was also put in place to give students motivation to study and work. Ac Lab is a gift; we shouldn’t be wasting it.
As a student enrolled in many honors classes and playing a sport, I like how I can get homework done in Ac Lab. I use the full hour and a half to do as much of my work as possible, and I feel so much better afterward. With the weight of some homework lifted off my shoulders, I’m able to focus better in my next class or game after school.
A few weeks ago, I had a math review, 10 pages of AP World History to read and a Chemistry test to study for. I was able to get the review and five history pages done in Ac Lab, which only left me the other five pages and to study chemistry.
I played in a j.v. softball game at 4:30 p.m. and got done cleaning the field at 6:45 p.m.. By the time I got home and ate dinner, it was 7:30 p.m. which only gave me two hours to do homework. I was able to read the last few pages of history, study chemistry and get to bed before 10 p.m..
Without Ac Lab, I would have stayed up late doing homework and been groggy the next day at school.
Taking advantage of free study and work time can benefit students so much in the long run, like in being able to get more sleep. Teens should get 8-10 hours of sleep, which can improve their attention in class and mental health, according to the CDC.
If you don’t have a lot of homework, using Ac Lab to get involved with clubs is a great use of time as well. With the many clubs MHS has to offer, it won’t be hard to find one that interests you.
Ac Lab can be a productive and stress relieving time, but only if you put the work in. Don’t let study and work time slip by, get the most out of Ac Lab.
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Annabelle Miller, senior, is the editor-in-chief of the Messenger. She has been on staff for two years. Annabelle is an outfielder on the Varsity Softball...