WIN or Lose? Teachers Speak Out

According to most teachers, WIN is a loser.

The Student Government WIN and P6 committee held in-person interviews with 33 staff members. Of those responses, 25 said they preferred P6. The responses revealed clear and consistent trends.

Staff Opinions of WIN

One staff member, who has been advocating for change for some time, explained that “WIN was created to plug leaks, but instead, it is causing more problems than it is solving.” Many other teachers echoed frustrations about filling seats, the loss of productive instructional time, and the overall structure.

The logistics of WIN are a major concern. One teacher shared that “it is an ineffective use of time to comb through classes just to fill seats.” The requirement to meet attendance numbers, regardless of student need, consumes time that could be spent planning lessons or supporting students intentionally. 

Additionally, teachers report having little time to develop meaningful enrichment. As one teacher put it, “WIN is not an enrichment; it is a study hall.” Teachers aim to provide purposeful guidance to students, but many feel the current structure of WIN limits their ability to do so.

Several teachers described the WIN atmosphere as chaotic. A fed-up teacher bluntly said, “WIN feels like babysitting children, while P6 was a productive use of teacher and student time.” Disorder does not foster a productive learning environment, and many feel that WIN creates management challenges more than anything else.

Overall, the staff perspective of WIN is largely negative, with multiple teachers referring to it as “punishment.” Teachers cannot be expected to motivate students who do not need or want to be assigned to classrooms. When choice is removed from students, it becomes a burden on the teachers, too.

Staff Opinions of P6

In contrast, teachers highlighted several benefits of P6, including student choice and ownership, expanded club opportunities, and less missed instructional class time. 

One teacher explained that when “students choose to seek education, it will actually help them.” Many staff members remember the initiative students demonstrated during P6, whether seeking academic help or engaging in independent study.

Teachers also noted that “P6 builds ownership for academic progress.” Schools must encourage their students to take responsibility for their learning, fostering skills that will extend beyond the classroom.

P6 also provided flexibility for clubs and activities. With at least 30 uninterrupted minutes and no lunch conflicts, organizations had consistent time to meet. Since its removal, clubs—including Spanish Club—have ceased to exist. With that being said, the losses of WIN extend beyond academics.

For athletes and coaches, losing valuable instructional class time is another loss of WIN. When classes ended at 2:45, student-athletes missed approximately 10 minutes of instruction for early dismissals. Now, with a 3:15 end time, these students often miss entire class blocks. Many teachers expressed concern about the academic impact of that shift.

In general, staff members believed that P6 offered broader benefits for both staff and students.

Teacher Concerns

A passionate teacher shared, “We are in a constant struggle to make education relevant to students in a world that is advancing so quickly in terms of technology that we need to make sure that time spent with students is productive and meaningful." She does not feel the school is currently achieving that and has plenty of ideas to share, yet she feels she has not been allowed to do so.

It is also fair to say that staff-wide, teachers do not feel heard by the administration. One teacher plainly stated, “We need teacher voice in decisions.” Many believe collaboration between staff and administration would lead to solutions that meet requirements while still effectively benefiting students.

Conclusion

Teachers are consistently expected to meet requirements for decisions in which they had little or no input. Disregarding the perspectives of those most directly affected is unfair. A school cannot claim to value education when silencing the educators themselves—because that is not leadership, it is a dictatorship.

Next Week: Admin Perspectives on WIN and P6