If you haven’t noticed, there have been recent changes to the PAW period. Miss Fernandez added that Tuesday through Thursday will now be dedicated to academic work. How do people feel about this new change, and why were these changes made?
These new rules were implemented 2-3 weeks ago, around the beginning of February 2025. During PAW, classes are expected to focus on MCCs on Tuesdays, I-Ready on Wednesdays, and math academics on Thursdays. As you might expect, some students are upset with the new changes because they feel like they take up valuable time.
Mrs. Hargis feels that the changes are beneficial for her PAW class, but she believes her students see it more as a time to socialize than to work. “I think the PAW changes are overall good because they give students and teachers a clearer idea of what needs to be done each day. As for my PAW class, I have a wonderful group, but for most of them, it’s just social hour. They don’t even realize that the structure has changed, even though I’m nagging them to do their I-Ready lessons on Wednesdays and their ALEX on Thursdays, and always offering to help them.” As you can tell, she appreciates the structure because it allows her students to work and complete tasks, so they can walk across the stage at graduation.
Most students dislike the new changes because they prefer class discussions over individual work time throughout most of the week. However, even though students are not thrilled with the changes, they do benefit from them. The new structure helps students finish their work during school hours, and if they need help with an assignment, the teacher can provide assistance.
Jaelyn shared her thoughts: “MCCs, in my opinion, sometimes help people get together, but some kids are different. There are introverts and ambiverts in the class who might feel uncomfortable being forced into something they can’t or don’t want to do.” As Jaelyn pointed out, while some students enjoy these activities, others feel differently.
This period is useful for finishing math work, catching up on missing assignments, studying for tests, working on projects, and completing I-Ready tasks. Even though students may dislike it, the academic benefits are clear. The only challenge is that students often prefer to socialize instead of participating in the structured activities.
