After an eight-period day, students at ROJH are exhausted. By the time students get home, they have no energy to do the piles of homework assigned by teachers. When students fail to show up the next day with homework, they get a zero or a detention. To help solve this problem, ROJH should add a flex period to the school day.

Right now, students go to two reading class periods. Why can’t we make one of them a flex period? No teacher should have the right to yell at a student because he or she didn’t do their homework. Many students have problems at home, which lead them to not completing their homework. Plus, many teachers know that students don’t do homework because there is no one forcing them to at home. To fix that, students should have a flex period, where the teacher can supervise.

With a flex period, teachers will be able to help students who don’t get the homework. That way, everyone has the chance to finish these important assignments. Everyone will be caught up. Red Oak Junior High needs this because some students lack the motivation to complete assignments without help or supervision. In fact, there are similar classes in place at other schools, including Red Oak High School.

The more we grow up, the more responsibilities we have in life — not just in school, but outside of it too. That’s why we need time to take control of those responsibilities, and some time to rest our brains between classes. We have eight periods. It would be perfect if we replaced one of our reading classes with a flex period.