No professors: no problem

Professors+havent+come+in+yet+for+the+dual-credit+courses+Sociology+100%2C+Psychology+100%2C+or+English+100%2C+so+students+are+finding+ways+to+pass+the+time.+Here+senior+Quinn+Williams+fills+in+letters+for+the+game+Hangman+during+an+English+100+class.

Photo by Faith Owan

Professors haven’t come in yet for the dual-credit courses Sociology 100, Psychology 100, or English 100, so students are finding ways to pass the time. Here senior Quinn Williams fills in letters for the game Hangman during an English 100 class.

The dual-credit courses offered at Kamehameha Maui from the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College haven’t started yet. As students wait for the college professors to arrive and teach the classes, they’re using their time in one of two ways: productively, and not.

“I believe as long as they have taken care of their work previously, that this class is a college-type class,” Mr. Nainoa Kāne, supervisor for English 100, said. “If you choose to do non-productive things, as long as it’s not dangerous or breaking rules, then it’s fine.”

Free time in dual-credit classes?

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The three classes, Sociology 100, Psychology 100, and English 100, have been in the schedules of students who signed up for them every day since the start of the school year. With no lessons or assignments from the professors, there’s nothing for students to do in relation to the actual classes during these periods because the Kamehameha Maui school calendar does not coincide with the University of Hawaiʻi calendar, which has classes commencing on August 24.

So what are students working on while they wait?

Here are two lists of what students have been seen doing, or have said they’re doing during their time in these dual-credit courses while they wait for the professors to arrive:

School related:

  • Math homework
  • Senior project
  • College research
  • College applications
  • SAT/ACT preparation
  • Studying for AP Biology
  • Meeting up with academic counselors

Non-school related:

  • Playing cards
  • Playing Hangman
  • Editing pictures for Instagram
  • Making songs on GarageBand
  • Watching movies
  • Watching TV shows
  • Picnicking outside
  • Sleeping

Since students have more structure in their seminar classes than dual credit ones when the professors are out, Sociology 100 supervising teacher Mrs. Brandy Cajudoy thinks that students should be taking advantage of the time given to be productive. She said that students could us the time to meet with senior project mentors and college counselors.

“[Dual credit classes] are never a free block. They’re supposed to be working on their senior projects,” Mrs. Cajudoy said. “Since a majority of them are seniors, they should be working on their applications for colleges, essays for colleges…scholarships, doing a lot of that research.”

Some students choose to do just that; others use it to relax, eat, catch up on gossip, go on social media, etc. Either way, the “free block” aspect of these courses will last even beyond when the professors arrive on campus. The professors will teach two days a week on average, and on the other days, students will still have that extra supervised time during which they are supposed to work on the assignments given in the college credit classes.

Whether they do or not, is up to them — just like in college.