Following the introduction of Crew Connect at Palatine, students reflected on their experiences with the program, and give opinions for improvements. This 33-minute block gave students the opportunity to choose when and how to connect with teachers and peers in a new way.
Some took the time to complete academic work, with athletes especially noticing the benefits of extra time.
“Crew Connect this year was a very effective way for me, especially as an athlete, to communicate with my teachers and find the time to get smaller assignments done, which I would struggle to do with a normal schedule,” junior Michael O’Hare said. “It saved me a lot of valuable time that could be spent sleeping, instead of coming in during the mornings or having to arrange to miss practice in order to come in after school.
Despite this increase in time, the program was found to be inefficient by some students at providing quality time with teachers, especially in classes that are seen as particularly difficult.
“The large number of individuals in each block made it difficult for me to directly speak with my teachers and ask specific questions,” junior Sohum Gorladku said.
Other than acting as a built-in study hall, students often took the time to rest and recharge in one of the Social Emotional Learning pause spaces. In these areas, students had unstructured work time that allowed them to connect with friends or relax.
“Even if there wasn’t a certain class I needed help in, I was still able to go to the auditorium and spend time with friends I don’t regularly see, which was always the highlight of my day,” junior Sydney Spedale said.
Throughout this process, teachers were able to request students to their classes, forcing students to get help when they needed it.
“The ability for teachers to pull students into their classrooms even if the student’s priorities lay elsewhere and help in that class isn’t particularly needed defeats the purpose of students being able to choose what benefits them the most,” junior Aashna Dharia said.
Despite Crew Connect having good intentions, students all over Palatine have mixed reviews about the effectiveness of the program, and changes that could be made.
