Sometimes it feels like we are always in a rush. In a recent survey, 85% of 92 responding students said that they do not believe five minutes between classes is enough time. Some students say they are tardy to class every day because they need more time. Salena Roach, sophomore, blames the time crunch partly on crowded hallways. 

“You’re trying to get past and through people in enough time when your class is on the other side of the building,” she said.

It’s no secret that some students goof around in the hallways during passing periods and don’t take it seriously, but what about the students who do? Speed walking takes on new meaning when you have to go from the gym to James Wright’s chemistry classroom on the third floor library wing. Some teachers sympathize with students who complain that the passing period is too short, agreeing that students should have a longer one. 

“They need to be able to use their lockers and the restroom,” Eve Abaray, Spanish teacher, said. “They carry everything around all of the time because they believe they do not have enough time to get to a locker.” 

Other teachers think five minutes is plenty.

“I don’t think a longer time between classes is needed based on the number of people in the hallway not moving with a purpose most days,” Kevin Stapleton-Cloud, math teacher, said. “I believe there are a select few who need it, but not most.”

Some students say that they have enough time to get to class, but that it’s difficult when the hallways are packed. 

“Five minutes is usually enough time for me to get from one class to another, but if there is something occurring in the hallway that slows me down, it can be a problem,” Folake Adelwale, sophomore, said. “Usually in those situations teachers aren’t very understanding.”