Letter to the Editor

*All letters to the editor received are published unless they are defamatory. Letters to the editor are published as received and do not go through an editing process.  The editorial staff of CHS Publications does not confirm information in letters to the editor as being factual. 

Flex is important for more reasons than schoolwork. While it is useful as a way to catch up, the break it provides gives students something to look forwards to and be motivated for. It also lets us rest after first period and prepare for the rest of our- often exhausting- day.  

Flex represents an opportunity for a break, to connect with peers, and to make up classes.

Seeing Flex get used inconsistently can take a mental-emotional toll. I use the time to practice trombone and complete homework for UW pre calc. Not knowing what to expect for any given day can be damaging- I might barely make it through first period by promising myself a good practice at Flex. To arrive upstairs and be told otherwise is devastating.  

I think the concept of school being merely about getting good grades is not relevant to Flex.

Flex represents an opportunity for a break, to connect with peers, and to make up classes. If a student doesn’t use Flex wisely, they may get a bad grade. They’ll understand why not retaking that test or doing that homework when they had the chance was a bad idea- we’re not stupid. And they’ll use it better the next time. Taking away this opportunity takes away the concept of student freedoms and responsibilities while increasing stress.  

Flex is valuable. At the very least, we need consistency. We need to know what to expect. I personally desire a free Flex three to four days if the week, though I’d even settle for a consistent two at this point.  

With a larger perspective, I think the school consistently denies our wishes and puts them aside as inessential to our futures. Yes, some things students want are too hedonistic for our own good. We can’t be scrolling our phones all day, even if we want to. But the misled conception that most of the things teenagers want are futile is dangerous. An overly punitive school environment helps no one. On top of the endlessly repetitive cell phone drama, Flex is beginning to feel less like a relief and more like yet another example of micromanagement.  

This opinion is inherently biased by my own feelings and experiences. As a student, I see this issue from a different angle. But that does not and will never mean that my views are invalid. Teachers may have more experience and more years of education. But they are not living through high school. Our wishes deserve acknowledgement. 

-Ava Schmidt (10)