Opinion Story and Cartoon by Aubrey Frey
Having enough time for school work has always been a problem for high school students. Whether it is doing homework, getting help from a teacher, or retaking a test, students never have enough time to do any of these things outside of school.
Mount Vernon High School has set aside a time for students to get caught up on their academics, called the Multi-Tiered Support System (MTSS). Students are allowed to use this time to get help from teachers. They can retake tests or quizzes, ask questions, or just work on homework. I believe that MTSS is a great use of time for students’ Friday afternoons.
MTSS provides time for students to finish their work during the day. Instead of having students come in for help after school, which interferes with after-school activities, or coming in before school, which interferes with early bird classes, MTSS lets students avoid the scheduling issues and get help during the school day. Doing their work during the day also helps students avoid transportation and scheduling issues. Not all students have the transportation to get to school early or go home late. Some students also work night jobs so staying after school to get help is not an option. Also, not all students have access to computers at home, so MTSS gives all students an equal opportunity for success.
Some students oppose MTSS mainly because they think it is a waste of time and they can just do their homework at home. They say they will just get their homework done later, or ask for help another time. This could be true for some people, but I have had a lot of experience around teenagers, and if I know one thing, it is that high school students like to procrastinate. This usually ends up with waiting too long and forgetting to do something over the long weekend, then come Monday, that worksheet or question they had to ask is long forgotten about. This is why MTSS is a great way for students to complete their school work before the busy weekend.
MTSS is a time set aside for students to get help from teachers and complete their homework before the weekend. I believe that this time is very valuable in students’ schedules and the time that we have for MTSS should stay the same. Keeping our schedules they way they are would be helpful for all high school students.
