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SUNNY Temp: 53 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 18, 2002 School breaks prove uncomfortably short Teachers and students at North say they can’t get to the restroom and be on time for classes By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune When nature calls, students and teachers at North Medford High School can’t always answer. Instead, the restroom has become accessible to only those with the fleetest of feet under a controversial new class schedule. "It’s unfair to the teachers and students," said Terri Bish, Spanish teacher and union representative. "Teachers and students both have told me, ‘It’s degrading. It’s demeaning.’ " Alternative education teacher Jan McChesney has found one solution: "I don’t drink anything in the morning." Spanish teacher Donalyn Cambas has found another: "I just lock my door and I’m late every day. There’s just not enough time." Teachers, who aren’t supposed to leave their classes unattended, say that five-minute breaks, particularly during the long morning session, allow little time to take care of business. As a result, teachers are not the only ones in a bind. Bish said students are now tardy more often. She said eight were late to her class Monday after the lunch period, which has been shortened from 60 minutes to 50. Others are requesting passes, though many students prefer to show up late, rather than putting their hand up in class. "A lot of the kids are embarrassed about this and do their business before class," said Bish. The new schedule is an effort to compel students to spend more time on their studies and less time socializing or getting into trouble. Principal Doug McKenzie said he understands some of the teachers’ frustrations and will explore tinkering with the schedule to take the pressure off, particularly during the morning hours. "We’re going to buy some time somewhere," he said. But he doesn’t want to change the schedule dramatically because it is an effort to cut down on the 600 students who have fallen behind academically and are opting for the credit retrieval program. It is also an effort to cut down on behavior problems on campus, resulting from students who had too much time on their hands. Last year, a 40-minute office period in the morning was made available to students to help them with their studies. "About 400 kids a day would wander off, not using the office hours," he said. Of the remaining students, McKenzie said the majority would wander in and out of the room. "We studied this for a period of time and concluded it just wasn’t working," he said. Now, the office period has been reduced to 25 minutes in the afternoon, each class period has been increased to 85 minutes from 80 and the lunch period has decreased 10 minutes — all to make sure students spend more time with teachers. The 550 freshmen are now required to attend the office period in an effort to give them a head start. School officials hope it will help students who might be having problems in class and ultimately cut down on credit retrieval. "Our No. 1 goal is to find ways to support student academic achievement," said McKenzie. While not every teacher believes this plan will help students, McKenzie said the biggest complaint about the new schedule has been the time available to go to the bathroom. Analyzing the morning schedule, he said, "We will try to get some relief in here." Rhonda Lee, division leader for language arts, said the solution could be as simple as adding five extra minutes in one of the morning class periods. She said people in her division have found the schedule too rushed. It’s particularly difficult for teachers and students who start the day at 7:10 a.m. and must wait until lunch at 11:35 a.m. before taking a full break. "It’s beastly. You could wait some 260 minutes before you can go to the bathroom." But Lee said the situation isn’t necessarily the end of the world, and hopes that with some minor changes, the schedule should work. Until that happens, students will stampede to restrooms between periods, often forming long lines. McChesney, who feels the problem is more acute for teenage girls, said, "If you can imagine 500 of them descending on the bathrooms at one time, you can see the problem." She has decided that since there isn’t enough time between classes, she will just have to hand out passes to let them go to the bathroom. Ninth-grader Eric Russell said students are racing from class to class because of the new schedule. "I’ve raised my hand a couple of times in class to go to the bathroom," he said. "I just don’t have any time." Not all teachers feel that minor tinkering could resolve the scheduling problems. Cambas said students in sports can’t always attend the afternoon office period and are falling behind in their studies. "If they realized that it is impacting sports, things might change," she said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S