Suzanna Tran

GUIDING THROUGH LANGUAGE Senior Jay Qiu seeks guidance from Zeyda Marsh, World Language Department Chair and Teacher, during office hours as he refines his class project for Chinese class. “Office hours allow me to ask specific questions and improve beyond what we cover in class,” Qiu said. “Having this one-on-one time with my teacher is really helpful.” Marsh always tries to create a collaborative and supportive environment in her office hours to help deepen students’ understanding and create opportunities for students in Honors Chinese. “We use one of the two office hours on Thursdays for Chinese tutoring clubs,” Marsh said. “Students who need to be tutored can come to be tutored by other students.”

As students navigate their academic responsibilities at Mater Dei High School, office hours serve as an essential period for making up tests, receiving tutoring, and asking teachers questions. However, despite being a scheduled part of the school day, office hours are currently held after school on Mondays and Thursdays, which creates significant challenges for students.

Many students struggle to attend office hours because they have commitments immediately after school. Teachers have also observed the impact of this timing on student participation. For World Languages Department Chair Zeyda Marsh, after-school office hours present challenges, mostly with conflicting scheduling issues.

“It is pretty hard for students who need to leave right away or come with a carpool, so they have no way of staying after school,”  Marsh said. “Maybe we could go back to having office hours in the middle of the day.”

Another major issue is the limited duration of office hours. At only 45 minutes, teachers often find it difficult to properly help their students within such a short period. Physics Teacher Daniel Zanone advocates for longer office hours blocks in the hopes of distributing his focus and attention to his students accordingly. 

“I think we need it to be a full hour,” Zanone said.

Students who do regularly attend office hours have expressed frustration over the short time frame, as well.

“An hour would be nice, but I understand that teachers have to leave too,” Bouzid said.

Some students suggest that having an additional office hour session during the school day would make it more accessible. Junior Callie Constantine finds that office hours are the best time for her to reach out to teachers for questions. However, the after-school schedule for office hours makes it difficult for her to navigate staying late.

“Maybe we could have 30 minutes during the school day once a week in addition to after-school office hours,” Constantine said. “That way, students who really need help can have access to it without having to stay late.”

Math Teacher Ashley Paradiso is one of many teachers who have several students visiting her office for math assistance. She also agrees that changing the timing of office hours could improve student participation.

“When office hours were in the middle of the school day, students were already on campus and had to go somewhere, so they were more likely to come by,” Paradiso said. “Now, I’m running into more problems with students missing office hours due to after-school commitments.”

Despite the current challenges, teachers continue to emphasize the importance of attending office hours. Marsh values the time it enables for students and teachers alike to build a relationship outside of the classroom.

“It allows students to refresh or get more in-depth in a concept they didn’t understand,” Marsh said. “It benefits them because we become closer as we talk outside of the classroom in a more relaxed setting.”

Ultimately, a possible solution to increase attendance and effectiveness of office hours would be to move them to a more convenient time during the school day and extend the duration to a full hour. This change would ensure that more students can take advantage of this valuable academic support without conflicts arising from after-school obligations. As Mater Dei considers potential adjustments, students and teachers hope for a schedule that allows for greater accessibility and effectiveness of office hours, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to seek academic support when they need it most.