Compass is an institutionalized academic assistance program at LTHS. It’s an extra class added to your schedule, for students to finish any homework or to study for a class. Students spend minutes in the class just doing that. Sitting at a desk, doing the same thing everyday, but what if you have nothing to do? Is this “class” something students really need to spend their minutes doing? Let’s take a look at it.

Compass has been around for a good portion of the school year. Compass has created a debate among students and teachers about the effectiveness of their time. Is Compass something that is really needed? Is it something that is actually helping students? So why is it here? Teachers can assign you to their class if you have something you need to finish something for them or if you need additional help with understanding something.

Compass was ideally made for more academic purposes but do students see it that way? There’s always two perspectives when opinions are raised about the whole idea. Is this 35 minutes usage a fair game or a foul ball? Ask yourself if you have ever gotten something done or did something productive during that time. Have you ever opened your Chromebook to finish that English assignment or to beat that new level of T-Rex Runner? Do you have your Chromebook opened to have the teacher think you’re really doing something? Everyone has an opinion and it is clear that they vary across the board. 

Compass could be more engaging for students if students were allowed to go to the gym for some type of physical activity, or if there were activities to do within Compass time. If there was something more engaging, students could feel  more excited and ready to go to their assigned class. With this approach LTHS students might feel more welcomed when going there, assigned or not. As of right now, Compass can be considered a hit or miss. It’s either going to work or not going to work, but with the students and teachers working together, Compass has the potential to be a better environment for everyone!