Janie Slaven: THE TEACHER'S DESK: Seniors need freedom

Janie Slaven, The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.
·2 min read

Dec. 8—Back in the day, Corbin High School let seniors leave for lunch. There have been many times over the years where I didn't have time to finish lunch. Sometimes I don't even eat lunch because I'm tired of the same food. I know many students feel the same way as me. I think senior students should be able to leave the building for 45 minutes and go wherever they want for lunch.

Many schools around the world let seniors leave, but there is usually a condition. Some schools only let seniors that have a 3.0 to a 4.0 G.P.A. leave. If Corbin decides they want to let the seniors leave for lunch they might want to consider adding this condition. That might also make students work harder since they would be getting more freedom.

First, lunch is only 25 minutes long. To some it may seem like a long time, but it's not. The lunch line moves very slowly and usually takes about ten to fifteen minutes to get through, which only leaves you about ten minutes to eat. The ginormous lines take away lunch and social time. If seniors were able to leave that would shorten the line for all the other grades and also give them more time.

Second, imagine having the same schedule of food every week. Eventually, people get tired of it after a while. If seniors were able to leave we would have more freedom in our options of food and make things easier for picky eaters.

Lastly, leaving school during lunch would give students more time to relax. It would give seniors a needed break. Senior year is challenging because you're in a weird time where you're trying to figure everything out and prepare for college. Seniors are bombarded with college information, filling out applications, taking the ACT, and taking the KYOTE tests. Us seniors have a lot of stress on our shoulders and a 45-minute break would be very much appreciated. It might even temporarily relieve the stress that seniors bear on them and have time to clear our minds.

In conclusion, seniors should be able to leave for forty-five minutes for lunch. They should implement this because lunch is not long enough, the line is too slow and takes away lunch time, would give students freedom of food choices, and it gives students a break. I think Corbin High School should consider this, even if they add a GPA condition.