It’s no secret that WJ is overcrowded and due to this immense population, the school has been forced to install 19 classrooms outside of its official building.
WJ has three levels: the G floor, the 100s floor and the 200s floor. Unfortunately, these three floors are simply not enough for the 3000+ students who pile in every morning. The infamous “P floor” exists to supposedly rectify this problem; however, it could be causing more harm than good.
As class sizes continue to expand, more and more portables are being installed each year. Math teacher Laura Brager has taught at WJ for nine years and this is her second consecutive year in a portable.
“If it rains or snows then it’s really annoying to be outside, especially when I need to go from the portable to the bathroom or copy room,” Brager said. “It’s also really far from the staff parking lot and math office. The portables are also smaller than most of the indoor classrooms, so it feels really squished when there are 33 students in them.”
While portables have obvious downsides, teachers like Brager have learned to take advantage of them and look at their positive qualities.
“It’s a great group of teachers out in the portables, so I do feel like we have a sense of comradery,” Brager said. “They’re the coworkers that I see the most, so some of them have become my closer teacher-friends here. Also, you don’t have to share your room with anyone.”
The scramble to get in and out of the building via the exits located near the portables is no joke. During the five-minute transitional periods between classes, students are crammed together, shoulder to shoulder. Senior Fran Sabbioni has had four portable classes during her time at WJ and feels that the system could be smoother.
“Going in and going out takes too long,” Sabbioni said. “Teachers that are in the portables always get students that are late because they have to come all the way from the other side of the school.”
Senior Claire Higgins, who has also been in several portable classes, agrees that getting to and from class is much more difficult than it needs to be.
“When the weather’s bad it’s like trekking through the great outdoors to come learn here,” Higgins said. “They’re so far away and it takes a really long time to get here. The door to go into the school is ridiculous, they’ve tried doing this leaving early thing, but that hasn’t really helped.”
For now, there doesn’t seem to be an immediate fix to all of WJ’s portable problems. However, strategies can be implemented to increase their functionality. Portable teachers have been encouraged to allow their students to leave class a minute or two early, which has provided a bit more time for class transitions.
“I think staggering going into the portable entrance is a step in the right direction,” Higgins said.
