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March 11, 2010
Editorial Board
Arriving on time to class is a largely accepted rule at Hoban. Students are aware that arriving late to class more than three times equals 40 minutes of detention after school, and five minutes is a reasonable amount of time to switch classes. What does seem unreasonable, however, is distributing detentions to students who are unable to check the time.
Clocks would seem to be a luxury taken for granted at a school where tuition is nearly $8,000. Although clocks can be found intermittently throughout the Hoban hallways, the time is rarely correct.
Teachers frequently remind students that tardiness warrants detentions, yet knowing the time is vital to being on time. If a student has no way of checking how much time they have between classes, punctuality is a toss up.
Some clocks, such as the ones in the central hallway, are off by only an hour and a few minutes, but others are off by several hours or even completely stopped.
The clock situation has left students guessing about what time it is or how much time is left in a class. Getting to class on time has become something of an Olympic sport involving counting to 60 several times and lots of mental gymnastics.
Faulty clocks also affect students during class. Being unsure of the time when completing a test only adds to an already stressful classroom setting. While making wristwatches a mandatory part of the dress code or allowing cell phones to be used in the hallways between classes are unlikely solutions, a solution is on its way.
Plans are in the works to replace the broken system this summer with a wireless system, which would ensure that even if one clock goes down, the rest should function. With the development of new clock technology, it has become less expensive to replace the entire system rather than try to fix the current, broken one.
Due to the inevitable mess that will come, the system cannot be replaced until the summer or, ideally, spring break. This means that students will have to stick it out for at least three more months without clocks.
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