Are All Changes for the Better?

The recent decision to move classes each period causes divisions of opinions among the students and teachers in our school

Eva Guțu, 10A

Many of us, former middle school students in this very college have faced the radical change in our quotidian school life, which concerns all classes in Moise Nicoară. Changing classes for every subject became a customary occurrence in our school a long time ago, however opinions regarding this subject are divided into two main categories. On the one side are those who consider it adequate to go back to our institution’s quaint practices and pursue the pre-pandemic rhythm, whilst others feel consumed with the limited amount of time this has provided them, during the breaks.

After having conversations with numerous schoolmates and even the school’s principal, dr. Diana Achim, some crucial conclusions have been reached. Firstly, I have brought up the subject regarding the sudden re-occurrences of such customs, keeping in mind that the pandemic is still not over yet. Therefore, by changing classes, intense and direct contact among students is inevitable, thus also inducing possible overcrowding in the school’s corridors, though quite spacious, tend to get hectic and very busy during breaks.

The main reason for turning back to our “tradition”, as the principal said, “is to reduce the inequality and discrimination between students”. We are all aware of the not exactly “convenient” learning conditions during winter in the classes located in the main courtyard, due to their location, size and poor heating conditions. Therefore, it has been long ago anticipated that once the state of emergency in both our country and region will be eradicated, these restrictions regarding allocating classrooms to students rather than teachers should be obliterated as well. We have also discussed the matter that this “rotation” of classes was indeed meant to allow all students to use teaching materials and laboratories (e.g., Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geography etc.) and not have the teachers carrying class materials throughout the school which could deteriorate them. Thus, an ultimate conclusion has been reached, that rotation is mandatory to a great extent, with both its deleterious and beneficial aspects for both students and teachers.

Taking into consideration the opinions of those who didn’t experience this system before or prefer having a class of their own the theoretical possibility of creating additional classes at the ground level, has been brought up and suggested, this way, increasing the amount of space and diminishing overcrowding. This suggestion, however, is unattainable mainly due to sanitary prohibitions. Because of our college’s geographical location, the groundwater level rose surprisingly high, therefore deteriorating the interior structure which is not suitable for learning as it poses a serious health hazard.

One last issue that I wanted to cover in this article is the new school rule which doesn’t allow students to use the bathrooms during classes, under the pretext that the breaks are sufficient for us to fulfil all necessities, (eating, visiting the lavatories, borrowing a book from the library etc.) although many students would disagree. Not only has the class rotation taken up a considerable amount of time from our breaks, as stated above, but it also rendered the number of bathrooms in our school is insufficient, hence around 10 bathrooms and a total of for 36 classes, each consisting of 30 or so students, that is a total of 1000 students, giving or taking a few. Doing the math, we end with 36 students per cubicle, which aside from being unhygienic, it also presents a certain discomfort. Additionally, the normative for the number of water-closets in a school with a number of over 1000 students is 10 for men and 30 for women, however our school’s original architecture provided it with 14 for men and only 16 for women. Aspect which is understandable to a certain point, however students along with the school administration should be aware that the original number of students at the date of Moise Nicoară’s construction was nearly not even close to what we have now. Thus, it would benefit us all if we were allowed to use the bathrooms at any time if we find it absolutely necessary. Some solutions although would consist of enabling access to the restrooms at the ground level, which would significantly reduce overcrowding, or invest in some bathrooms at the third floor near the astronomy observatory.

To sum it all up, the class rotation seems to resemble a mandatory solution for now, in order for all of us to have access to the laboratories, however, with certain changes on both our side and the teachers’, this could imply a convenient way of managing our breaks more efficiently and still changing classes while not wasting our entire breaks in the school corridors. It is therefore that we must still search for propitious ways in which we will reach a compromise, taking into consideration both the student’s point of view concerning our time management, and the teachers’ which feel complacent and comfortable with being responsible for a classroom of their own.