“Students who know the worth of their education are the ones who consistently come to class,” said Mrs. Stewart, Naugatuck High School’s English department chair. So why are some students skipping class?

After polling 20 students at Naugy High we found that 65% have skipped class before. When asked what classes they cut, they said study halls, math and English classes.

         Does the fact that the class is required rather than chosen by the student affect whether or not they skip the class? Dr. Kobylenski, one of the art teachers at Naugy, said not a lot of people cut his class because they choose to be there to pursue their love for art. He believes students would want to come to class more if the school offered more classes and gave more freedom to choose what students want to  take. “Money is what keeps it from happening,” Kobylenski says.

Elective teacher, Kevin Wesche, said he doesn’t get many cuts either. But when he does, he says, “It is very hard to make up a hands on class like CADD.” He believes to keep students in their core classes teachers just need to make class more enjoyable and make students comfortable in the class. “Why did you become a teacher of something if  you can’t make it interesting?” he says.

On the other hand, Mrs.Saam, the principle of Naugatuck High School, says she does not decide what classes are graduation requirements. It is in the hands of the state of Connecticut to decide, she just follows their guidelines.

Saam said she understands sometimes students have bad days or go through emotional issues at home and can’t handle going to class sometimes, but wandering the halls instead is not acceptable. The school has guidance counselors and social workers to help students through personal issues, but that option is not often used.  

So, how exactly are we are we supposed to keep kids in class? We can’t change the curriculum, money isn’t exactly available, and our counseling services  aren’t always being used.

Mrs. Stewart suggests,“Let the kids know it matters they’re there.”