It feels as if the rules have been set back five years. In years past, Knight Time was 40 minutes long and students were allowed to travel if they were given a pass. Then, there were two KTs a week with pass-allowed travel. Now, we have one 35-minute long KT in which no travel is allowed unless you are requested by a department’s Intervention leader. Teachers are required to conference with students about grades, and community building is no longer a goal of KT.

With all of these changes, a clear goal is hard to pin-point. In a student survey, 93% of 10th-12th grade students responded that they did not think that this version of KT is an improvement from years prior. Students cite a variety of reasons for this, from not being able to participate in clubs, easily make-up tests or missing assignments and generally just not finding the time beneficial.

Club Participation

Many students at FHN choose to participate in clubs for both personal enjoyment and future opportunities. However, since the change in KT, some students have found that they are not able to participate in the clubs that they want to. This is due to a variety of reasons from sports taking place after school, inconvenient meeting times and a lack of personal transportation before and after school hours. While 20% of students surveyed said they were able to participate in all of the same clubs and extracurriculars as before, a staggering 50% of respondents said they were not under the new KT restrictions. Having half of the student body not being able to participate in the clubs that they desire is a clear indication that something needs to change. Clubs are a huge opportunity for student growth, student connection to the school and student opportunities for scholarships and other monetary benefits down the road.

Academic Intervention

In years prior, if students were given a pass from a teacher on a travel KT day, they were able to go to a classroom to complete work or finish projects. Of students who have tried to get help in classes during the updated KT system this year, only 10% of students say they have been able to help get the help they needed during KT. This new set of rules makes it harder for students already struggling to get the help they need. Oftentimes missing assignments and tests go unnoticed by teachers as they have hundreds of other students to worry about, leading to students not being able to make up work in the time allotted at school, forcing them to do it at home. For other classes, like digital art and woodworking, many students don’t have access to the tools required at home, making that option impossible.

The Solution

Taking parts of the system in place in years past, but also keeping some regulations in place we currently have in order to keep organization is key. Students who are in good academic standings as in all A’s and B’s should be able to travel and meet. Students would be able to meet as groups allowing them to collaborate on school assignments and projects. The students allowed to travel would meet in the commons to ensure a central meeting spot so that regardless of what KT classroom a student is in they are able to cooperate with peers. The people who are supervising the commons during KT would hold the ability to revoke the privilege to travel to the commons if students are disruptive or tardy.