Advisory is a system that was created to meet the state of Indiana’s SEL (Social and Emotional learning) and was made a while back, as teachers and researchers have found that educational learning is no longer enough for high school students. Students perform tasks like team building activities and various assignments that contribute to building social and employability skills. They also work on graduation pathways to help them build their future and career. With all this in place, it seems like students would enjoy this, as it’s a break from regular assignments and it allows them to work on themselves rather than working on various subjects, but as it turns out, Advisory is quite controversial. Some students appreciate Advisory and praise it for its focus on the students themselves rather than their grades, and other students feel as if it’s a waste of their time. So, that asks the question… Is Advisory necessary for healthy development, or is it a waste of students’ precious time?

As said before, many students do not enjoy Advisory or the help it provides. One student, Owen Peffers, states, “Half of everything we do there is unnecessary. Like that meme thing. I don’t like school, but I expect to learn stuff, not make memes”.

 Clearly, Owen here thinks Advisory is unnecessary because he feels his time is wasted on things that mean nothing. Owen is just one person giving their take on the class, however, so it was vital to gather more opinions and stances. . Joshua Gray, another student, gives his take on Advisory, “Some things are necessary, but a lot of it is a waste of time.”

Seeing this backlash to the implementation of Advisory in our day certainly gives the thought that the class isn’t a huge hit with the students. It even gives off the feeling that the class is, in many instances, useless.  On the contrary, it is important to note that there are hundreds who go against this stance, though. One student, Oliver Wilgocki, feels this way, and provided his take on the situation, “For me, it serves as a break from normal school activities, and if you don’t like it, it’s only one day a week”. 

This quote shows that not everyone is against the idea of Advisory, and that some think it will improve their school-life and wellbeing. Some of the activities that have been implemented in our weekly advisory have hit home and helped many others, which ultimately is the overall goal and a great thing to hear. 

However, these quotes and opinions bring us back to the question: is Advisory really that helpful? As stated above, some think that it’s a waste of time and a boring part of their day, while others enjoy it because it helps them take a break from school and just focus on themselves. In my opinion, Advisory isn’t that helpful or necessary. For me, it is used as more of a midday break rather than a period used to go over surveys or grade checks to focus on my performance in school. Some people don’t want a break, they just want to move on with their day. 

I feel like if Advisory was used with more efficiency and usefulness, I think it could really improve students’ Mental health. Using the period as an opportunity to get people the help they need would be a great improvement. Whether that’s speaking with a counselor or a trusted adult, learning about colleges you’re interested in, or simply getting extra help with assignments. That is what Advisory could be.