Here at Joliet West, unless they have an overload schedule, all students have an advisory period to accompany their lunch period. Separated into blocks, periods 4-7 are all split in half with A and B periods. One of those periods is a lunch period, and the other is an advisory. We all know what lunch is, but what exactly is advisory?

Students have attributed advisory to a wide range of purposes. Some feel that advisory simply serves as an excuse to break up the lunch periods. True, the school has a rather large amount of students, and it would be extremely difficult to fit all those students into a single lunch period. The advisory block is a good way to divide up the schedules to ensure that every student gets their federally required lunch.

Breaking up lunch is actually only part of the benefit intended from advisory. An interview with my own advisory teacher, Mrs. Barker, shed some more light on the central points of advisory. “The point of advisory is to give you a place to gather information specific to the grade level, and have a contact that can actually get you that information” says Mrs. Barker, commenting on what she felt the point of advisory is.

In simple terms, advisory is the equivalent to having a homeroom. Freshman year is a good way to orient oneself with the school, sophomore year gives information about job shadowing, junior year is ACT prep, and senior advisory provides community service opportunities and other things needed for graduation.

Advisory teachers for the most part serve as contacts for students to get information. Advisory also serves as an off period. During their advisory period, students can meet teachers for extra help, make up work, or to complete any other task they might need to do. Students have also been known to use advisory as a study hall to get homework done, but for many students it’s a nice break to sit back and talk to their friends, at least when they end up with advisory teachers who don’t mind.

Overall, it’s good for students to have a place they can go to get their school work done. Maybe not necessarily homework, but there needs to be a time for students to get any information they might need, or turn in important documents, or what have you. With Tiger News Network broadcasting during advisory periods, it’s also a great place to get up to date with the goings on at the school and important dates for any number of events.

Some students take overload schedules, in which they sacrifice their lunch and advisory periods in order to take another class. This can be a good way to get vital credits for graduation or college requirements.

Certain students also decide to drop a class on overload in order to take a study hall, which gives them a full hour block to take care of any homework they might have. However on overload schedules, students need to arrange different ways to get the same information most students get in advisory, and it makes it much more difficult than it would normally be.

Advisory may seem pointless to many students, but students who actually take advantage of their advisory will see that it allows them to get things done easily without having to risk being late for class during passing period, or take time away from class to turn in something for school. Advisory periods are a good time for students to take stock and do what they need to.

Students without advisories can end up missing important dates and deadlines simply because they didn’t have the information. Advisory serves as a way for students to get information above any other purpose it might seem to have, or a lack thereof. Although some students might not see it, advisory is actually  vital.