It’s 11 p.m. and your desk is still covered with homework. You’ve got a chemistry quiz tomorrow, an English essay due at 11:59 p.m. and a history project you haven’t started. If only there were a way for teachers to see and adjust how packed your week is. That’s what the paw system was supposed to do.
The paw system was designed to help teachers and students see how much work is assigned across different classes. Each assignment is rated one to five “paws” based on its importance and time commitment, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the most important.
According to Kelsey Anderson, science teacher and sophomore dean, the paw system has two key components.
“My understanding, based on how it was presented to me, was that it is used in the workload calendars,” Anderson said. “You’re also supposed to do it on your own Schoology page, so students know that this [assignment] is worth less points than this other assignment.”
The workload calendar is an online tool where teachers are supposed to log major assignments rated three paws or higher, allowing other teachers to see when students have multiple projects or tests scheduled. However, Anderson notes that while the system makes sense in theory, in practice it has been flawed.
“How it’s been communicated to new incoming teachers, how it’s been communicated continuously through all teachers; it’s not been consistent. There’s no one also checking to make sure every teacher is using it the way that it’s intended,” Anderson said.
Meg Anderson-Johnston, assistant director of upper school, believes that the deans play a key role in communicating and enforcing the Paw system.
“The deans are probably the people most involved in that, and it’s basically just reminding and encouraging people what the expectations are,” Anderson-Johnston said.
Anderson-Johnston also noted that although she provides a refresher at the beginning of the year, the message does not always reach teachers.
“Usually, at some point in the year, I do like kind of a refresher for the faculty about how to use it and then what the expectations are. Anderson-Johnston said. “It is the expectation that teachers are using it.”
Because every student in a grade level could be in different classes, the system can be difficult to implement fully.
“Our students’ schedules are so diverse that it really does have to be on the individual student level, because it doesn’t impact the same students the same way with our rotating schedule.”
This inconsistency means that some classes use the system regularly, while others ignore it completely. Sophomore Cole Waterman finds that this inconsistency leads to weeks with workload spikes that cause stress.
“Just this past week, we’ve had a bunch of major assignments due within the period of two to three days,” Waterman said. “Right now, Uprep is basically half committed. Some classes do it, some classes don’t. And I think they gotta step out of this gray area and either get rid of the system completely and try something new, or fully commit.”
Anderson-Johnston believes that one way to improve the system’s effectiveness is through student voice.
“It really is kind of up to the students to know to ask those questions.” Anderson-Johnston said. If you feel like something is rated too low or took more work than was indicated by your teacher, please communicate those things, because we do not know unless you tell us.
