Rushing to complete an assignment right before it’s due is a struggle many students can relate to. Staying up late or dealing with the stress of not having enough time to turn in an assignment is often a pain that students come across. However, what if there was more time in school to complete that work? How helpful would a class period that provides extra time to complete school work really be? 

Langley Links is a class that provides students with cultural and social information while also giving students independent time to complete school work. Although controversy around the necessity of this class remains prominent, having extra time to complete school work is extremely beneficial and saves time.

The first part of the class consists of a teacher-led presentation about culture, holidays, and emotional well-being, among other topics. There are different aspects of the presentations that are really beneficial. Information pertaining to organization and executive functioning are often received well.

“I think some [lessons] are probably more engaging, especially when you can relate it to your own personal life. Like when we talked about organization… some [students] actually went ahead and reorganized your things,” Weis said. Helping students organize their work is not only helpful, but also important, adding more value to the importance of the class.

Additionally, the information  presented about diversity and culture is essential. Learning about these topics contributes to the social awareness of students and can help when it comes to inclusion and recognizing diversity.

“When we talk about diversity and equity it’s really important for students to consider,” Weis said. “Some students don’t always get this in other settings.” 

Having a specific setting in order to have those types of conversations is especially important. Students don’t usually have time for conversations on diversity and executive functioning in other classes, and some schools don’t have this crucial dialogue at all. 

“We don’t really usually have conversations about race and our feelings and I don’t think we do because we don’t really have class periods for that,” Churchill Elementary sixth grader Ever Bamford said.

Furthermore, the second half of Langley Links is equally if not more important and helpful. Langley is known for having overachieving students and when students challenge themselves, they often have a lot of work to complete. Providing extra time in school in order to manage the strenuous workload has proven to be highly beneficial.

“The independent time should actually be extended. The amount of work and homework [I can accomplish] in there is really helpful,” Chemel said.

Students are able to utilize this time to visit teachers in order to get help. This can be crucial in improving student comprehension of classes or helping students catch up.

“So far, I’ve been really happy with students coming in for help and asking for help […] I think it’s really great to be able to have that time to meet one on one, I think it’s really important.” Weis said.

The second half of Langley Links may also be helpful for teachers to complete work.

“Every now and then I can actually slip in some of my own work.” Weis said. 

Ultimately, Langley Links is beneficial in order to help students complete work, meet with teachers, get organized, and learn important information about diversity, equity, executive functioning and emotional well-being.