Having missed some school last week due to a college visit, junior Anthony Tapio was working extra hard in his AIM period to get some of his missing work done. He finishes up his physics homework and then starts working on his US history. As he begins his worksheet, he is lost and confused about one of the questions. When he approaches his AIM teacher to ask if he could leave so he could talk to his US history teacher, he is met with rejection.
At MCHS, this AIM time, which stands for, “academic and individualized learning matters,” is where students have 30 minutes of free time to essentially use as they please. However this isn’t exactly the case. Amongst the students talking with their friends or dawdling on their phones, many students actually use this hour to their benefit to complete homework.
This has been the case for so long that this year MCHS is working harder than ever to implement an AIM policy. The policy requires students to use this time for focused academic effort, working on their own learning and growth. But students should be able to handle their academics on their own without a policy being forced in their faces. They are old enough to make their own decisions, and utilize their, “academic period,” on their own responsibility.
Many students don’t take this responsibility seriously, especially considering a lot of seniors are 18, legal adults, and many choose to slack off in their AIM periods. While it’s not very productive, it is their choice and it will benefit or hurt them as a response to their decisions.
During AIM, students are expected to take responsibility for their learning by checking grades weekly, seeking enrichment, attending interventions and completing tasks. This includes seeking help from teachers, making up missed work or revising tests. Movement is not allowed unless a student is using the bathroom or visiting their locker, so if a student wants to go see a teacher it is prohibited — unless a student goes to that teacher before the period starts and then stays there the whole time.
The AIM policy is flawed because it negatively impacts students who actually want or need to use AIM as an academic period. By having to stay in a certain AIM and limiting movement and passes, this hurts kids who might actually be trying to get help and excel.
AIM isn’t truly beneficial to students because of the restricted access to the library. Again, for students who actually want to use AIM as a way to catch up, some may need access to resources in the library, and AIM restricts this because students are not allowed in the library.
Students should be using this time to their benefit, and if they aren’t, that’s their own fault, and it will help or hurt them as they make these decisions. For example, many seniors say that in the cafeteria during senior incentive AIM periods, not a lot of work gets done.
“I’m in the cafeteria during AIM,” senior Aiden Arslani says, “like, you see people walking around or doing anything, so in the cafeteria basically nothing productive gets done.”
Some might argue the AIM policy is beneficial to students getting work done when teachers apply no phone and no movement rules, but that mostly applies to those that can get all their work and tasks completed by staying in one seat. For students who rely on collaboration, movement for focus or access to digital tools, such restrictions can actually hinder productivity and engagement.
Overall, the AIM policy has a few flaws and the implementation of it is rather unnecessary because students have their own motivations to get work done. If students aren’t utilizing their time correctly, those choices will affect them accordingly.