Tutorial Time Turbulence
By Amie Ahn Feb. 12, 2025
The overlapping chatter of numerous students fills the classroom: children laugh with their peers and text on their phones, creating a disruptful, unproductive work atmosphere. Meanwhile, in the room next door, silence lingers—students aggressively type away at their keyboards, while teachers talk in hushed tones to a student about their quiz. Many students can use the provided tutorial period as a productive academic time, but for others, it becomes a free period loaded with distractions, questioning its effectiveness.
Tutorial is intended to serve as an extra instructional period where students independently complete their assignments, make up or retake assessments and express any concerns to their teachers. Many students utilize this time to meet with others for group projects or presentations. However, some students choose to relax, with the expectation to not disrupt their peers. Thus, many students find relief in having tutorial time, providing a break from the rest of their busy days.
"Tutorials are always there for me as a safety net when I do not finish my homework at home, or if I still feel unprepared for a test. Without tutorials, I would feel rushed trying to complete the assigned work,” Freshman Rebecca Huang said.
In addition to being a valuable academic period, tutorials are also time to make use of other resources to avoid interfering with instructional class time: drills are conducted, and students can visit the Community Resources Center to talk to counselors and attend occasional specialized events, such as Career Week and Wellness Week. Regardless, tutorial also provides opportunities for easy distraction and low productivity, especially when students use electronic devices without particular supervision. Besides socializing with friends, many students access social media.
Recently, a district-wide policy to turn off and confiscate phones was extended from class to tutorial as well, per the San Jose Unified School District policies. Previously, there was a stark difference between different teachers’ use of tutorials regarding their phone rules—while many teachers allowed a certain extent of usage in their classroom, others completely prohibited their usage, such as Heidi Pimentel, Foreign Language Department.
“Tutorial is one of the few times when students can complete necessary tasks without any distractions, and so expectations must be set to create a focused environment that encourages students to maximize their time,” Pimentel said.
Still, most students tend to make use of tutorials at least a few days of the week, depending on the number of assignments they have. Technology is essential for academic tasks, proving difficult for teachers to distinguish those who truly use their
devices for school-related work.
“At the end of the day, the school can only filter and block so many things. With an innate tendency to find solutions to problems, students will find ways to navigate around these restrictions. The school is already doing the best that it can, but the unproductive environment in some tutorials is inevitable,” Senior Aarush Zarabi said.
While productivity varies from student to student, tutorials are inarguably a vital part of the school schedule. While some tutorials mimick test-taking environments, it seems the use of electronic devices and socializing can serve as a distraction, but still contribute to a natural, pressure-free school atmosphere.
About the Contributors
Amie Ahn
staff writer
Amie Ahn is a sophomore at Leland High School and a writer for the Charger Account. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, hanging out with friends and eating.
Isabella Zhu
artist
Isabella is a Staff Writer/Artist, and this is her first year in Journalism. Isabella is deathly scared of running, but does cross country anyways. Her favorite things to do outside of journalism are eating, walking, and sleeping.
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