Middle schools across Arlington Public Schools typically have structured time with their homeroom teacher a few times a week. However, at H-B, this time is different. Teacher Advisory (TA) at H-B is more of an unstructured time. It can be used to complete homework, play games, or even go on field trips. I decided to find out how exactly middle school TAs at H-B spend their time.
In order to find out how H-B middle schoolers spend their time, I interviewed teachers and students across the grade level. I asked them about how much time their TAs spend on technology, doing homework, socializing, etc. I hypothesized that the 6th graders would spend more time on technology or playing games due to their younger age. I also predicted that 8th graders wouldn’t have as much free time during TA due to their heavier workload.
Sixth grade TA and Instructional Studies teacher, LeAnn Smuthkochorn, said on the topic of technology “Some of them really want to play games on their iPads. I sometimes have to take their iPads away from them.”In addition to that, LeAnn says that she doesn’t give her class free blocks. “Some of them can be very disruptive in the hallways,” she explained. But, it seems that the 6th grade is also very productive. “They are really productive 85% of the time,” she said. Matilda, a 6th grader from Debbie’s TA said “I do a lot of homework in TA. I wish we could talk more.”
To get information about 7th grade, I interviewed teacher and TA, Anne. “I suppose sometimes they play games,” she said. “But they’re very productive. Our time is pretty structured, and they get their work done”.
As a 7th grader myself, I would say that my TA does play games (recently some of my TA played Twister) However, a few of them usually just sit quietly doing homework or reading. The majority of the time, when everyone has finished their work, students can leave and have a free block or go outside to the basketball courts.
Eighth grade geography teacher and TA, Eleanor, said regarding playing games, “I would say it’s very rare…80% of the time, my TA is productive. Sometimes, if they finish their work, I’ll let them leave the classroom.” Sydney, an 8th grader from Lexie’s TA, also said “I don’t really play games. I do homework just depending on how much I have.”
In general, middle schoolers are very productive during TA. Technology use and playing video games is relatively uncommon. Teachers are very lenient, offering both scheduled activities and free time once students have finished their work. TA time use at H-B clearly varies across grade levels, but it is still a very valuable and important time.
