Office hours is an open-ended support session that helps students receive additional help with their academic classes.  They are held Monday through Friday from 1:15 PM to 2:25 PM, except on Wednesdays when they are 12:55 to 1:20 PM.  Most teachers have office hours on Zoom, but some do it on different platforms.  

The main purpose of office hours is to help students improve their grade in a class. Science Teacher Mrs. Esther Flores found that about 2-7 students go to office hours on a daily basis, but she would like more because she feels more people need the extra help. Flores thinks that office hours can help students improve, but there is a challenge in getting students to participate.  Flores has her office hours by appointments, so she can make sure she’s free when someone wants to join her office hours.  The appointments are coordinated through the calendar built into Canvas.

Seventh-grader Kelly Villarreal said she thinks office hours are “really helpful for students who need help in classes.”  

Since distance learning has begun, MacArthur has looked for ways to improve student achievement. Office Hours is one way students can improve their grades, another way is for students to actively participate more during the Zoom sessions or email teachers with specific questions.

Seventh-grader Evelyn Nguyen thinks office hours should be longer because “it is too little time to get assignments done.” 

When students attend classes on campus, there are no office hours. Instead, students attend optional tutoring sessions during lunch, before or after school.

Sinaleiliili Rogers, seventh grade, said, “I don’t go to office hours because I don’t need help.”

Flores has her office hours in Zoom, but some teachers have them by email or Canvas Chat. When attending, Sinaleiliili said she prefers to have office hours in a Canvas Chat because there is less lag and there will not be as many students. Zoom tends to be more laggy than using chat or email because of the video interface instead of texting. 

In the end, office hours can be helpful to students in need of it.