For years kids have complained about their teachers giving them too much work to do at home, and the employees at Pahrump Valley High School or (PVHS). The school tried to limit the work to do at home by making a study hall. This year is the first year that PVHS has had a Study Hall. Study Hall is the same length as the other classes that  are 81 minutes and happens twice a week.

Study Hall is doing what it’s supposed to do. It is helping a lot not just with homework but also with other things. During this time, students can get help from their Study Hall teachers or others they need help with, and it helps get students ready for their next class by using this time to organize their things. Study Hall is also a good time to relax after a few classes and have a peaceful and quiet time while doing work. It’s also a time where you can work quietly with your classmates and help each other with work. Many students  have been saying that Study Hall is doing great for them and have said it’s helping them with not having to do work at home, but some kids aren’t taking advantage of this time, and ultimately just wasting this opportunity.

Study Hall is helping a lot of students, but it’s not perfect just yet. First off, some students are not using their time to do their work which isn’t anyone’s fault except the individual’s, however it  is still a problem. For those who are using this time to do work, there does come a time when there’s nothing to do when you are all done with work. Almost an hour and a half is a lot of time, and sometimes it can be great when you have a lot of work, but most of the time you don’t need that long and can be a waste of time. Sometimes the Study Hall teacher you have will give the class something to do and after they finish, have that long to work on their work.

When speaking with Samantha Geissler, a sophomore at PVHS, she stated,  “I don’t like the fact that we HAVE to work on something even if we don’t have anything to do and everyone in my class is really loud and gets in trouble.” To improve Study Hall, teachers should have activities for the kids to do. When kids are finished with their work they can tell that to their Study Hall teacher, so that they can review grades with the student to see if they have anything else to work on. When speaking with Mr. Atom Hoffman, a PVHS teacher, he said, “I do like Study Hall. I believe that Study Hall is a great opportunity for students to build relationships with their teachers, which will help in creating a better community at the school. This also allows for students to work on schoolwork in a classroom setting, which can be beneficial for productivity. On the other hand, I believe that 80 minutes might be a bit too long and some of the students are not taking advantage of the time given to them.” To improve this we can shorten the time in Study Hall so that students won’t get too bored during this long period we have now. Kids will still have a lot of time but at the same time it will feel less like it lasts forever. It is also a good thing that it helps the community, for example, Mr. Hoffman said it’s nice that it helps build better relationships with teachers and students.

In conclusion, it is helping a lot of kids with not having homework. Some kids think it’s boring or it’s not helping and it might not be working for them but at least it’s giving them a chance to do their work. The teachers also know that it’s helping their students and it probably also allows the teachers to catch up on things, which means it benefits everyone.  Sure it’s not perfect yet but this is also the first year it has been put into effect it will be some time before it will be perfect.