At Lakeview Middle School, students have four minutes to get from one class to the next. That might sound like enough time, but for many of us, it is not. The school should make passing periods six minutes long.

Our campus is large. Some classrooms are in the main building, and others are in portable buildings behind the gym. A student who walks from the band hall to a portable has to cross the entire campus. Even walking quickly, many students arrive late, and some teachers mark them tardy.

Four minutes also leaves no time to stop at a locker or use the restroom. As a result, students ask to leave during class instead, which interrupts the lesson for everyone.

Some people worry that longer passing periods would make the school day end later. But if each class were just two minutes shorter, the extra time would fit inside the day we already have. Losing two minutes of class is better than losing ten minutes to late arrivals and hall passes.

Two extra minutes may seem small, but they would help students arrive on time and ready to learn. I urge our principal to give us six minutes.

Nadia Hassan, Grade 7