The Wanderers of Sutton High

Shaun D. Leroi- For a while now, Sutton High has been plagued with roamers who have either come down with senioritis or who are simply too bored waiting for class to be over. As many teachers tell us their new hall policies, half the kids that this rule applies to are already walking around in the halls. Some of the staff chooses to ignore this issue, and others address it strongly, but do they go too far to push students to accept their new rules? I’ve decided to get the story from both sides to show what teachers and students have to say, and hopefully reach a middle ground of understanding. Starting with the staff, Mr. McCarthy himself stated, “(I) Didn’t perceive this to be a big problem at Sutton High.” He also went on to discuss that if students are perpetually walking in the halls, then it’s more of a direct matter than something that affects the student body in general. “When we encounter a student who seems to be "roaming", we usually ask where s/he is going, and ask them to get there quickly. If there are students who are perpetually in the hall, then there are different and more direct conversations with the student and their parents.” Now as a principal, I’d imagine he’s seen these incidents on the punishment end, meaning picking up his phone and listening to a teacher's complaints on why the student is being sent down and handling it himself. However, there’s likely to be a stronger opinion on this topic when it comes to teachers. They witness these problems directly and its effects their class, rather than the school. I reached out to Ms. Shaw and Ms. Zimage for some insight and there was a dramatic difference. In my discussion with Ms. Zimage, she talked heavily about certain students avoiding class. She wrote that “I think that some students are trying to avoid class. We should get to the bottom of why this is happening so often. Is class time not meaningful? Is something going on? Also, 6 hours is a long time to be sitting in a classroom. I even find myself antsy and kids do this every day! I think some students just really need a break!”Ms. Shaw talks about students missing crucial parts of class and how it affected her teaching and general use of time of said student. She had this to say. “I think if students are genuinely just roaming the halls it is a waste of precious class time. I believe teachers in the building already try their best to produce well thought out and engaging lessons for students that try to keep student interest. If teachers continue to do this and students start to notice the effort and time that goes into these lessons, the problem will improve as more students will stay in class.” I personally was able to interview Mr. Stamos in person, who felt strongly about the topic. He stated that it’s not only distracting but also frustrating, especially if it’s a student that leaves the room and roams often. He then proceeded to talk about how he was similar, and that he felt that class could get boring every now and then when he was a student. He added that he doesn't blame students for leaving if they aren't “frequent flyers.” Of course, he would like to see students in his room during class time and he’s open to taking new suggestions about how to keep students in the room.Although harder to do, I managed to interview a few anonymous students that frequently roam. Due to the fact that I would not want to put any of those individuals in the office or any sort of trouble, they will remain nameless. I asked one student why they decided to leave the room during class time but not for any external use of the privilege (Office, Guidance, Bathroom, etc.). They stated that if they were feeling depressed, stressed, or even just dying from boredom; and they would leave class to escape that feeling. One mentioned that they liked to walk around and to get their mind off of bad thoughts or to de-stress. Another said it helps them concentrate and take a minute to re-evaluate themselves and what they just learned. I asked them what teachers could do to keep them in the room and most responded with “nothing, I just hate school”, but one said that they would like class to be more fun or even take kids outside. The last person I interviewed even mentioned brief breaks in class just to socialize.This issue has persisted even when our older brothers and sisters graduated here years ago. Plain and simple, it’s not a new problem. Even when I was a freshman, people either never cared about the rules or even pushed the teacher until they threw the student out of the classroom. They tell the student to go to the office or to take a walk and essentially give in to the student’s desire to walk the halls, which definitely offers a speedy get away from class. Although when they do, this stresses out teachers and makes their day so much harder. They don’t need or deserve a kid’s rotten or immature behavior and it can break teacher’s day in general. There needs to be a grey area where there’s downtime and also class-time that allow students and teachers to blend the two together for a compromise. The only problem, how do we achieve class tranquility but yet offer the most for every student? So is there hope? Can teachers allow students that crucial time in their class to better those wanderers' mood? Personally, I just think these students just wanted to be understood rather than pushed to learn. Not every kid wants to learn, and school can be rather stressful and hard, not to mention if you struggle and act out. I think then they’ll be more accepting and they just might enjoy school a little more if they get the voice they desperately need. It doesn’t make a someone “a bad student” because they need a break. Also, they should try to understand their teachers and the stress they're under. They deserve attention and respect from every student and shouldn’t be labeled mean or anything else if their trying to do their jobs and kids are purposely throwing them through a loop on a daily basis. This story will have to sort itself out in time and it all comes down to discussions and punishments at the end of the day. Who knows, maybe while I’m walking the halls writing this, it’ll occur to me how to come up with an appropriate conclusion.

"6 hours is a long time to be sitting in a classroom. I even find myself antsy, and kids do this every day!" -Ms. Zimage