By: Samantha Chen; Staff Writer

Recently, many teachers have raised complaints of students no longer maintaining their focus when the class period is coming to an end. Some students have been seen packing up and walking towards the door a few minutes before class is over which has gotten on some of the teachers’ nerves, as they feel that students could be using that time to learn. 

It has also been shown in studies that when students can see the clocks they tend to get bored quicker as they are just waiting for the time to pass by. This can hinder their ability to concentrate and focus on the task at hand. When two groups of students were tested with the same information and no prior knowledge of the material, it was shown that those who had clocks in their rooms tended to not retain and pay attention to as much information as those who didn’t. 

Not only do clocks prevent students from giving their undivided attention to a specific topic, it also hinders the ability to manage one’s time. When clocks are taken out, people will be unaware of the time that they have left to complete a certain task. Those people will then be aware that they don’t have all the time in the world to do the work and in return will work more efficiently to ensure that the work is done on time. People who don’t start their work immediately will no longer be able to as their way to gauge time will no longer be there. When they can’t gauge the amount of time they have left, they will create a better work ethic which will benefit them in the future.

Another benefit to no longer having clocks would be that those who over think will now no longer be able to contemplate on their decisions because if they do they may not have enough time for the rest of their agenda. Not only can this benefit overthinkers but it can also benefit those who just work for time. People who value the amount of time put into an assignment will no longer be able to know how much time was spent and instead will now have to focus on the quality of their work not just on the amount of time they spent. 

Also, the current clocks aren’t as useful as some seem to think. The current clocks that are in use are inaccurate and just throws off the teacher and the students. Therefore many people don’t use the clocks on the walls as they find it easier just to use their computer or phone to tell the time. Studies have shown that 70% of students no longer can read or attempt to read the clocks to tell time. It is also harder to read time from a distance due to the clocks only being stationed in one spot in the classroom. Most clocks have just become decorations in the classrooms and only have a negative effect. 

If someone were to need to tell the time, there are plenty of other ways which are better and more accessible. Many people have easy access to digital devices which display the time. These would be better options for telling what time it is as when the teachers normally need someone’s attention, they aren’t supposed to be on their devices. 

With this new change, the work ethic should improve in the classroom and also prevent people from trying to leave early. The students will be forced to engage in class and further their own education. When people are no longer worried and focused on the time, it may also seem to move faster and make classes more enjoyable.