SMART Lunch is good. SMART Lunch, which stands for students maximizing achievement relationships & time, is the 80 minute lunch for students that is new to Kennedy this year. Split into two 40 minute periods, students can attend tutorials to get extra help and make up work. There were many varying predictions of how SMART Lunch would turn out, but I believe that the majority of students would agree when I say I like SMART Lunch because of the freedom of options it gives me during lunch time. While there are a few disadvantages to it, I think that the pros greatly outweigh the cons in this situation.

One of the many reasons why I like SMART Lunch is because it gives me freedom with my work. For starters, it is a great time to do homework, in an attempt to free up my evening a little more. Whether students have sports, activities, or if they just want to relax, doing homework during lunchtime can help them out. It can also provide students with a time to get extra help, or make up work in their classes. When I miss a day of school, it is nice to be able to get a brief lesson and/or make up a quiz during the day, instead of going in early or staying after school. Who wants to do that?

Another reason I like SMART Lunch is it provides a break in a day of constant learning. It’s nice to sit down and manage my own time for 80 minutes, as opposed to listening to tiring lectures and taking tests. It allows me to refresh my brain so I can handle the last two classes in the day.

There are some things that I don’t like about SMART Lunch, but none seem to be too big of an issue. My first problem is SMART Lunch has forced the school to start classes five minutes earlier. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but every minute counts while getting ready and driving to school, and for someone like me who has trouble waking up for a 10 a.m. appointment, 7:55 seems a little early. My second problem is I’ve found that some teachers like to use the phrase, “Well since you have SMART Lunch…” to justify the extra homework that entails. These have been the only complaints about SMART Lunch I have personally found, but I think that in this case the benefits outweigh them.I think students should speak up if they like SMART Lunch to ensure that we have it in the future. I honestly hope that SMART Lunch is here to stay.