A course Sherwood students were made to complete during Advisory.

by Katie Ng ‘25

After students likely voiced on student surveys that they want a study hall, Sherwood designated Wednesdays as Advisory days in the 2023-24 school year to give students the opportunity to study. Sherwood also designated Advisory for students to visit teachers for help and complete missing work or quizzes. At first, Advisory seemed to run smoothly, with little to no general complaints. In fact, Advisory seemed productive. But as more time went on, teachers and students began complaining that Advisory is causing more harm than good, and it seems that current measures to address these issues are like Band-Aids on bullet holes. Advisory is not an effective use of the school day, and administration should get rid of it.

Some students are not even in their Advisory. They are wandering the halls or in school bathrooms, while others are in their cars. Students neither attending their assigned Advisory nor working with their teachers after receiving a Purple Pass creates a liability issue if they end up in an unsafe situation. Advisory teachers are responsible for their students’ safety, but they cannot look out for their students’ safety if they do not know where they are. This aimless wandering disrupts mandatory lessons and students making up tests or seeking help from teachers. Security guards and administration yelling at students to go to Advisory does not make a difference.

When students are in their Advisory, the vast majority of them are on their phones. Even if there are a minority of students who use Purple Passes or do schoolwork during Advisory, there is no point in having an Advisory if the majority of students use it unproductively and teachers are essentially baby-sitters for 40 minutes.

Even if administration were to take away advisory, administrators would still need to schedule MCPS lessons, counselor visits, and material distributions. As an alternative to Advisory, the Sherwood administration could consider scattering the required MCPS videos throughout the year in core classes. Teachers would know in advance when they need to present these lessons. When counselors need to talk to students about scheduling, they could visit students through English classes, similar to how counselors visit 12th grade English classes to discuss the college application process. In terms of teachers needing to distribute report cards, Student Grades and Graduation Credit Reports, flyers, and other handouts, administration could implement a 10-minute homeroom between 3rd period and 4th period to provide enough time for students to pick up these papers but not strip away as much time from other periods. Lastly, as the benefit of Purple Passes does not outweigh the downsides of Advisory, to continue to give students the opportunity to work with their teachers, administration can extend lunch by 15 minutes every Wednesday. Many teachers already provide support during lunch, and extending lunch will allow students to have their own time after they see their teachers.

Ultimately, if administration ends advisory, it can create a new and more cohesive schedule that better fits teachers’ and students’ needs. Ending Advisory will likely enhance learning, which will assist students and teachers alike in feeling less frustrated and stressed.