Life around Hayward High School is very different for teachers and students. We interviewed two students and two teachers, hoping to learn about what their normal school days are like.
The first question we asked was “What time do you wake up in the morning?” Mrs. Chucka, our school librarian, wakes up at 5:00 a.m., while Mr. Brennan, our Physical Education teacher, wakes up at 6:00 a.m. On the student side, Nikki Miller, a junior, wakes up at 6:30 a.m. while Dylan Lobitz, a sophomore, wakes up at 8:00 a.m. Mrs. Chucka and Mr. Brennan wake up earlier because they each have more responsibilities to do in the morning and they have to get to school earlier. Nikki and Dylan don’t have to wake up as early because their school day starts later.
The second question we asked was, “How do you decide what you’re going to wear for the day?” Nikki and Mrs. Chucka both said it depends on their mood and the weather. Mr. Brennan chooses his outfits based on the temperature of the gym and Dylan just throws on whatever is available. Next we asked them if they eat breakfast. Mr. Brennan and Dyan said yes, Mrs. Chucka usually has an apple and Nikki does not eat breakfast.
The next two questions were “How and when do you get to school?” Mrs. Chucka, Nikki and Mr. Brennan all drive themselves to school and Dylan rides with his older brother, Wyatt. Mr. Brennan gets to school at 7:45 a.m., Nikki and Mrs. Chucka get to school at 8:00 a.m., and Dylan gets to school at 8:10 a.m.
The next questions were, “How do you feel on an average school day?” and “What’s a good and bad day at school for you?” Mrs. Chucka said that she loves her job but she has been feeling more stressed lately. Mr. Brennan said he feels, “Cautiously optimistic.” Nikki said she rates her school day a 6/10 (which means pretty good), and Dylan strongly dislikes school. When we asked the teachers what a good day was for them, they said being productive and having happy interactions with students. The students however, have a good day when there are no tests or homework. Obviously, the students have a bad day when there are tests and homework and a bad day for the teachers is when students are off task and have poor behavior.
Next we asked them if they have any after school activities. Dylan and Mr. Brennan both have basketball practice. Nikki usually hangs out with friends. Mrs. Chucka goes home and does chores. Based on their after school activities and the length of their drive home, they all get home at various times. Nikki gets home at 3:50 p.m., Mrs. Chucka gets home at 4:15 p.m., Dylan gets home at 6:00 p.m. and Mr. Brennan gets home at 6:55 p.m.
The last question we asked them was, “What time do you go to bed?” Mrs. Chucka goes to bed at 9:00 p.m., Nikki goes to bed between 10:00-11:00 p.m., Mr. Brennan goes to bed at 11:00 p.m., and Dylan goes to bed whenever he gets tired.
Asking these questions helps to see the difference between a student and teacher’s school day. They both have different views on school and completely different daily schedules, which impacts their day at school.