Airport should find other uses for Nest Time

By Emily H.

Based on what I have overheard my peers and adults in the building say in casual conversation, many students and teachers at Airport feel that Nest is a big waste of time during the school day. There are many reasons why we should get rid of it completely or at least find other uses for the time frame in between 2nd and 3rd period. In this article I will talk about the alternatives of having Nest time and what other activities would help better the school day here at Airport. 

The first reason we should get rid of Nest Time is because nobody ever does anything during it. Well, I wouldn't say nobody, but hardly any teacher actually uses it effectively. Dr. R. makes us read as a class during Nest (in English 2 it was 1984; in Journalism it is either Around the World in 72 Days or Angels & Demons), but she is a rarity.  In between 2nd and 3rd period, we have a 35 minute time frame where we go to one of our classes (the class we go to depends on the day) and use that time as a study hall period. Our school would still be able to operate just fine without a study hall because around 50% of other high schools don’t have a study period at all, according to information found on FoxNews.com.  Also, many teachers don’t give any work, so students just sit in class with nothing to do, making Nest a waste of useful time. Either make the school day shorter by cutting it by 35 minutes, or add that time back to the regular classes.

Another thing we could do instead of getting rid of those 35 minutes completely, is finding better ways to use that time. We could replace Nest with time for club meetings. Students would be able to get together to discuss their interests such as academics, hobbies, and sports. This would provide students with time to socialize with new people and develop new skills. If we were to get rid of Nest completely and remove that extra time from our schedules, then we could either have longer class time and more time to learn or, like I wrote in the previous paragraph,  we could shorten the school day so kids can go to work more or have time for extracurricular activities. 

The third reason we should get rid of Nest or find other uses for it is because many students either skip it or are not present for other reasons. According to data reported by FoxNews.com, students miss 10% of the school year from cutting/skipping class. Ask any teacher at AHS and they will likely tell you that the main time they catch students cutting is during Nest. If we got rid of such a boring study period and found something more exciting for students, then they might start coming to school and go to class like they are supposed to.

Despite having given many reasons as to why Nest should be replaced with other activities, some people may argue that getting rid of study hall will take away students' opportunities to do make-up work. However, students already have plenty of other chances to finish missing assignments, like before or after school, during lunch, or at home. Most students don’t even use Nest for work anyway, since many teachers don’t assign anything during that time. Because of this, keeping Nest just for make-up work doesn’t make sense, especially when we could replace it with something more useful or enjoyable for students.

Annagale P., an 11th grader who is one of my friends, takes a surprisingly pro-Nest perspective. She said, “I think that Nest is very helpful when used well but the teachers have used it to teach new material. This is very unfair to Innovation Center students when they can't make that learning time up due to not being able to make it back in time. I think that we should take Nest time away and put that time towards expanding lunch.” Annagel brings up a valid point. Almost half the school attends L2IC, or to add another complication is an early release or late start student, and are not benefitting from Nest. Even if there were good uses of Nest, so many of the students at the school would not benefit from it anyway because they are exempt.

Mr. Samuels, the Modern World History and Psychology teacher, says,” I believe Nest Time could be better utilized for students who are struggling in classes that they require extra help in. I don't believe Nest time is long enough to be able to fully assist students who are struggling. I think that they should either find a way to extend Nest time to better serve students, or get rid of it altogether and give the students a longer lunch period, which is something a lot of the students at the airport complain about.” Mr. Samuels response to this proves that Nest Time isn’t being used to students’ full advantage and administrators should either make it a better learning opportunity for all students, find another use, or get rid of it.  

In conclusion, Nest Time is not being used in a meaningful or productive way, and there are much better options for how that time could benefit students. Whether it’s longer classes, more time for clubs, or even a shorter school day, any of these choices would make the school day more useful and enjoyable. By finding better uses for those 35 minutes, Airport can create a schedule that helps students learn more, stay engaged, and make the most of their time at school. There's that famous quote: “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.” With Nest that's what we are doing: the same pointless thing year after year. It's insane.