Sitting…waiting…until the clock strikes. I can finally get out of this class. Do you ever have a class that drags on and feels like it will never end?  

At my high school we had eighty-minute blocks for class. We were on an “A” and “B” day schedule. It was nice not seeing every class every day, but it meant we would sit in one class for an hour and twenty minutes. I loved the schedule for my fine arts classes more, but that calculus class was torture by the end of the year (well, March actually).  

When I saw my schedule for my first semester, I was so relieved. Only fifty minutes? That’s nothing! Then I looked at my Tuesday and Thursday class and cringed. Great, I’d be back to long classes. Little did I know some of my classes were even longer. I would have never thought it was possible (or humane) to have a two and half hour long class.  

When I say my attention span is gone after an hour, it means it is gone. It is out the window and getting on the next flight out of O’Hare to the farthest place away. I get it evens the time out if I met with those class three days a week compared to only one but come on!  

This has me thinking. I wonder if the longer the class is if it corresponds with declining attention. If your attention declines, how much does that affect your grade or overall comprehension of the material being taught?  

One of my classes starts at seven o’clock and ends at twenty till nine. I do not see how that class time can set me up to do my best. How can I stay up for a class when everyone preaches that a student needs eight to nine hours of sleep? On top of all the other responsibilities like homework, being an active community member on campus, studying, and just trying to stay afloat.  

So how can I balance all these responsibilities and places to be and shove them into what seems like the shortest days ever? Not to mention just taking time to decompress, relax, and spend time with friends like a real boy Geppetto! All jokes aside, this is a big problem facing students. They feel stuck in endless classes, but never have enough time to get projects and homework done.  

Time management is such an important skill to learn. It is about finding what works for you and not your roommate, friend, or second cousin twice removed. You need to find out what is valuable and are willing to dedicate time to it. It does not happen overnight, and it takes time (which we have none of) to find what works and does not.  

Or maybe we just need to have a word with Father Time?  

Ellen Dooley is a sophomore standard special education major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at emdooley@eiu.edu