“Okay class, right now we will be taking a test that is a very important part of your grade. You will have 10 minutes to study [teacher glances at clock]. Whoops, nevermind, there is an assembly. We’ll take it when we get back.”

We’ve all had at least one teacher that is so wrapped up in a lesson that she forgot about an assembly or event that takes place during precious class time. It’s  always blamed on the teacher, and maybe they should be keeping track of time, but is it necessarily their fault?

“I think that assemblies are good every once and awhile, but if there are too many then it takes away from class time. Since we have so much to teach, it just adds more pressure-not just to the students, but to the teacher as well,” said 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Barragan.

Teachers are under a lot of stress trying to keep up with everything on a normal day, but when there’s an assembly, there’s even more stress. Not only for teachers but for students as well, since both are trying to get through a truckload of work in even less time than usual, which is already not nearly enough.

“Sometimes I’ll shorten what I’m doing or change [the lesson plan] whenever there’s an assembly,” said 6th grade teacher, Mr. Tashkesen.

Instead of stressing about it, some teachers just shift around their lessons and leave out the less important things, like little assignments that may help students better understand a certain skill. But who needs integers when there’s a guy in the gym giving out free money and toys, right?

I think I speak on behalf of every student and teacher when I say WE NEED LESS PRESSURE.  And long-winded assemblies just add to the problem. It’s not that all of them are boring, but an hour long assembly about blow up cushions and tootsie-rolls? We can do better than that!