By Jake Furst ’16, Staff Writer

When asked about their use of time during free periods, many students will boast of the efficiency with which they do their homework.  They will confidently describe the amount of work that they are able to complete in those hour-long slots, and they will probably mention their preferred workplace in the school, usually the school library.

However, the majority of students at Newark Academy are not nearly as productive as they could be during their free periods.  In a recently conducted survey consisting of fifty students from all four upper school grades, only 28% of students said that they use their free periods “extremely efficiently”.  The other responses in the survey were “do not attempt working,” “get much less work done than desired,” “work about half the time,” and “prefer not to answer question.”   The most interesting data point in the survey was that more students preferred not to answer the question (5) than there were students who were willing to admit they do not even attempt to work (4), suggesting that these students were embarrassed by their use of time.

There is a clear disconnect between the expectations of free periods and the work that actually takes place.  Junior Soven Bery commented, “Free periods are great for getting work done and freeing up your schedule.  Unfortunately, if you can’t concentrate and focus, then you get no work done, like me.”  Sophomore Erin Mooney was hesitant to reply to the survey. “Do I have to answer that?” she responded, laughing. Both of these students present the problem that plagues the school: many students are not able to concentrate and use time effectively.  The majority of students who face this problem have every intention of doing work, but are simply unable to do so, which makes things difficult at a school like the Academy.

One does not have to search very long at Newark Academy to find a student willing to complain about their daily workload.  Students love to talk about their abundance of homework and multiple assessments. However, time must be spent wisely, especially since 90% of the student body participates in at least one sport. When these students arrive at home late in the evening, they are tired from a long day at school and a practice or game.  It is often difficult to begin a night’s worth of homework at such a time. Therefore, being able to focus and get work done during free periods is not only a valuable skill, but it often becomes a necessity.  Nina Pusic, grade 11, says, “When I get home from school every day, it’s pretty late.  If I don’t get my homework done in school, I could be up all night and still not finish everything.  And that is not okay.”

This problem is centered on one evil, that must be avoided: distraction.  Sophomore Mackenna Woods offers the following suggestion: “Go to a quiet place, away from people.   The Great Hall may seem to be nice place for getting work done, but it’s not, especially if you’re with your friends.”  Frankly, the best option for productivity seems to be the library.  If you are one of the many students who find focusing difficult, the isolated desks in the library are a perfect way to block out any distractions. Free periods are a great opportunity, and as a student body we really should take advantage of them.  Learning to be productive is not necessarily an easy skill, especially with all of the distractions of high school. However, it is an important skill to have in college and beyond, and is certainly worth the investment.