Advisory, the roughly 30 minute period that ends almost every day at Central, has been a topic of controversy among students, especially those who feel they don’t need it. Even some teachers agree. Is it really worth our time, or is it better to spend that time doing something else? Something more productive?

Jacob Fee, a Junior at Central, had some thoughts. He said in an interview, “you know, advisory is good. I mean, I feel like at times it gets a little bit slow. I noticed a lot of people not really paying attention or not really caring, especially in my classroom. I think that what happens is after all the time, just hearing the same stuff over and over again, people kind of get bored with it. 

I think it’s great for getting signed up for all your classes and making sure you know where you’re going and doing stuff that educates you. . . I just think that there should be more opportunities for you to better yourself. . . like college opportunities, college visits, maybe like some advisories where you can meet with college representatives. But I think that overall it’s pretty good.”

Would he keep it or not, if he had the choice? 

“I’d probably keep it as long as they made some improvements.”

I also asked Mrs. Rebecca Buening, a teacher at Central, for her thoughts on whether or not Advisory is a worthwhile use of our time. 

“I think that it’s useful for students who need it. If students need to make up quizzes, or they need extra help, or they’ve fallen behind, I think it’s really critical to have that somehow allowed in the day. I think the problem is that there are so many students who either do not need it, [or] could be doing other things. I think the bigger study halls are a good idea, so kids can just go and either read, or do other homework, or busy themselves in some way. I just wish, truthfully, that at least Seniors and maybe Juniors could opt out based on earning grades [and] attendance, as long as they don’t have any major disciplinary issues.”

I also asked Olivia Maylone, another Central Junior, whether advisory was a good use of her time. Her response? 

“Once a week, it’s okay. More than that, it’s just unnecessary.”

As to whether or not she would get rid of it, her response was simple. 

“I would get rid of it.”

Advisory has some benefits for those who need it, but requiring it every day for Juniors and Seniors may not be necessary. Perhaps the best solution would be to make it optional for Juniors and Seniors with a GPA over, say, 2.0 (which, at a C average, means passing all their classes – a reasonable goal), and no detentions. Only then, perhaps, can Advisory truly be considered “advisable”.