This year, Edison Intermediate School (EIS) created a time for students to do work outside of the classroom-study hall for sixth and seventh grade students. According to many students, the study hall is great and very productive. Seventh grade students Sabrina Boccagna and Syra Prasad explained, “Study hall helps get homework done, gives me less stress when I get home, and gives me more time to do other activities when I get home after school.”
Research also shows how productive study halls are: “At Norwin, study halls are invaluable to the students. According to a recent Norwin journalism poll, 72 percent of Norwin students who took the poll believe that the value of study hall was a ‘perfect 5 out of 5’ and study hall ‘helps me out a lot.’” (Pettaway)
These positive views on the study hall’s productivity for students provide clear evidence of how a well-structured study hall benefits learners. This information demonstrates why students in all grades at Edison Intermediate School (EIS) should have access to a study hall.
EIS Art teacher Mrs. Heather Diliberto supervises a study hall this year, and she believes all grades should have study hall: “Eighth graders would benefit the most from study hall as they seem to be the most busy in and out of school.”
Seventh grade student, Taylor Goodman might agree with Mrs. Dilberto. Taylor said, “You can get lots of homework done, and it helps for getting big projects done. It also helps to study and gives you more free time at home.”
Eighth grade student Spencer Hantman said, “I have about an hour of homework each day. I get no homework done during school, and it would be great to get more done during school. A study hall would have helped so much to get my homework done, giving me less stress and anxiety.”
About study hall only being for two out of the three grades, EIS Principal Mrs. Lenova Shall explained, “Study hall was brought up by teachers, parents, and administrators. We could fit it into the sixth and seventh grade schedules without losing an elective. However, in the eighth grade, students would have to give up a chosen elective and replace it with a study hall.”
Seventh grade student Braeden McKee claimed that having a study hall as an eighth grader would be beneficial: “It would help so much as an athlete to get work done and study for tests, as I do not have nearly enough time to do all that stuff at home.”
Research proves how much stress school work can give you when you don’t have enough time and have to rush. “There are many sources of stress for teens and adolescents, including: school pressure and career decisions crammed schedules, juggling school, sports, after-school activities, social life and family obligations.”
