Tutorial is not taken for a credit and is solely taken as a period to complete work or a free hour for a handful of students . I believe since this option was made for students

and is not a class, students should be able to decide what they do in the given hour. However, certain tutorial teachers have chosen to dictate what students can and can’t do in their tutorial, something that defeats the overall purpose of the class.

Almost half of the students that take a tutorial hour at South say they have a teacher that only lets them go on their phones at certain times during the hour.

Tutorial is an imperative hour for students, especially for those who play sports and don’t have enough time to complete all of their homework the night before it’s due. Having a tutorial or a “free hour” gives students time to work on homework from the previous night or homework due later that day to help make the academic stress at South more manageable.

Even though many students use tutorials to complete work, some students use it to take a break from the draining day at school.

South is without a doubt an academically rigorous school and most, if not all, students need a break from the constant high stress of their classes. Students go on their phones to take a break and some even put their heads down to rest for a few minutes, but some tutorial teachers have rules that are unfair to students that need time away from schoolwork and a mental break.

I understand the main goal of teachers is to boost productivity in tutorial but many students, including myself, view this way of running a tutorial unfair to the student . Having a way to relax, even if it’s just for 30 minutes can relieve stress and anxiety in students.

Although teachers want to see you working, this is not always the case as some students use tutorials for different reasons than trying to do four homework assignments in the given hour.

Since some teachers run tutorials in this fashion and some don’t, switching tutorials from the first semester to second can come as a big surprise from being able to take a break in the hour to being forced to work.

South is a phenomenal school packed with motivated students and hardworking teachers, but no school is perfect. I believe the right to choose what you want to do in tutorial should be reinforced.