SMART Lunch Ruined by Dumbasses

Last week my school, among several others within the county, implemented a highly controversial program known as SMART Lunch ("SMART" being an acronym for Students Maximizing Academic Resources and Time).

Following this policy everyone is dismissed immediately after second block and allotted fifty minutes of discretionary time during which he or she may eat lunch, converse with friends, tutor and/or receive tutoring, complete late work, exercise, roam the school, or any combination thereof.

At first I, along with the majority of the student body, was skeptical about the entire idea. Having our entire school population—some 2,000 kids—in such close quarters would inevitably lead to problems and cause drama among the short-tempered. And it would be unrealistic to think that every hungry student could make it through the lunch line, be served, and eat, all within fifty minutes. I kept these concerns to myself, however, and decided to give SMART Lunch a chance.

Soon I discovered that SMART Lunch was as amazing in practice as it was in theory. Shortly after its implementation I had been able to receive academic assistance in pre-calculus; make up missed labs for chemistry, a class I recently transferred into; help a friend with his algebra homework; and chat with former teachers. I left lunch each day refreshed and satisfied with having accomplished so much in such a short span of time.

A few days ago during SMART Lunch three students got involved in a physical altercation, which of course attracted numerous onlookers. The fact that there were so many people present at the scene apparently differentiated this "melee" from a fight and made it newsworthy.

As always, the media blew things way out of proportion (and published disgustingly inaccurate information), attributing the incident to SMART Lunch. In response to the negative press coverage, school administration made what I feel was a knee-jerk decision, discontinuing SMART Lunch indefinitely.

So now we have returned to the old four twenty-five-minute period lunch scheduling. During lunch we are prohibited from going anywhere except our designated eating area, the cafeteria. If you are struggling in a class or were absent and need to collect missed assignments, you must speak with your teacher after school. And if you, like me, share no classes with your friends and barely ever get to see them, well, call a whambulance because your special needs will no longer be accommodated during the school day. Lo siento, amigo.

I'm upset that we are being punished for the actions of a few immature kids (well, adults, seeing as all three are in their late teens). I truly hope that our principal will reverse her decision and reinstate SMART Lunch, as it was extremely helpful and beneficial to those of us who sought out its usefulness and took advantage of the opportunities it offered.

9/24/2009 - There is a rumor circulating that SMART Lunch is presently being restructured for supposed reimplementation in late October, when first quarter ends. I will update this blog entry as I learn more.

11/05/2009 - After nearly two months of discussion, school staff and administration have developed and announced a potential alternative to SMART Lunch: Start SMART (also jokingly referred to as "SMART Breakfast").

Under this program classes still conclude at 3:00pm but begin at 8:30am instead of 7:55am. The thirty-five minutes between these times are to be used for academic enrichment, remediation, tutorials, and/or club meetings. All students must be in a classroom participating in one or more of the aforementioned supervised activities; no one is allowed elsewhere on campus until the conclusion of the session.

Kate