The school year can get really crazy at times. We go to school until 2:40, most of us stay after even longer for other activities, and then we get home only to finish our homework and hopefully manage to get in dinner and some sleep. This does not even factor in all the out of school activities we need to do, leaving it impossible for families to see each other, let alone eat dinner together.

JC took a step to try and combat this by creating a “family night,” a night where there were no school activities going on after 5:30. Let me say, this was a really good idea in theory. Most nights, I do not get home that early so it was definitely a nice change to not stay at school that late. I definitely commend JC for realizing that students are often too busy, even for their families. Family Night gave us a chance to do just that.

Family Night also gave us a chance to slow down and relax. Most days, I feel like I don’t have time to breathe, let alone finish my homework. This night I was able to finish my homework at a reasonable time and not stay up until about 2 a.m. working on it.

There were a few things that I think JC could have done better with Family Night. First, making us aware of Family Night before it happened would have been good. Students could have probably found out about it on their own, but let’s be honest: how many people really check ahead on the calendar? I know some other students said their families were not even home for it, which of course ruins the whole point of a Family Night. Planning ahead would allow the whole family to clear their schedules.

Also, it would be nice if teachers could come together and give less or no homework on these nights. I know this one probably will not happen, but it sure is nice to think about. Having little or no homework on these nights would really make Family Night work and give you all the time to spend with your family, instead of just going home and having more time for homework.

Despite the few issues I had with Family Night, I still think it’s an awesome idea. It gave me more time to breathe and relax, something I always appreciate. I commend JC for doing this for the students and definitely think it should be done again in the future.

Cole Alban is the Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.