Quiet Time (2024-25)
Dear student. We have been doing Quiet Time for many months now…15 minutes, 3 times a week:
Here is the link: https://sd41blogs.ca/smithjoanne/quiet-time/
1. What things do you choose to do during your Quiet Time?
2. What do you like or don’t like about Quiet Time, and why?
3. What do you feel during Quiet Time?
4. What do you notice about it?
5. What does it mean to you?
6. What surprised you?
7. Who would you recommend it to?
8. Do you have any questions?
I look forward to hearing from you.
1. I normally tend to choose to just do my unfinished work that I had to either do in class or do at home; it’s nice to be caught up on work. If I don’t have work to finish during quiet time, I just draw on a piece of scrap paper to kill time.
2. I like the fact that we get to do whatever we want during quiet time that doesn’t relate to talking to others. Sometimes, I think quiet time is a nice break from the long hours of school, so I love that quiet time just lets you stay in your own bubble for 15 minutes and relax. I also think that the music during quiet time is very calming, so I love the vibe and purpose of quiet time so much!
3. During quiet time, I feel very calm and at peace because on how we just get to quietly do whatever we want without disturbing others. School can be very tiring with its long hours, so I see quiet time as an opportunity to be at peace and stay in a good mood.
4. I notice that quiet time is a very calming and peaceful break from school, but it can feel lonely without the presence with a friend to talk to. I don’t think this really is a big issue, because quiet time is only 15 minutes long and a conversation with 2 people can ruin the peace for people who are trying to absorb the moment.
5. Quiet time for me is a time to take a break peacefully from the long and stressing hours of school. It is a quick break to catch up on unfinished work for me, so I see this part of the schedule as a quick catch-up on work.
6. It surprised me that we get to do whatever we get to do whatever we want quietly when we were first introduced to quiet time by Mrs.Smith. I thought that quiet time was a great part of the day because we got to do many things quietly and on how we had peaceful music while just laying back. Overall, I think quiet time is a great way to give students a break from school and Mrs.Smith should keep up this tradition in her future classes.
7. I don’t think there has to be anything added to quiet time because it is an already perfect part of the schedule. I’m not sure if anybody has different thoughts on how quiet time should be altered, but I think quiet time is perfect enough.
8. I do not have any questions on quiet time at all because I think that quiet time is already perfect enough. Overall, quiet time is a great part of the day and it gives students a great break from school.
1) I would do some work or just do nothing but it really depends on what I’m doing.
2) I don’t like any thing about Quiet Time, but what I like is that there is music, because if there is no music, it would be weird to just hear nothing like it’s too quiet it would not be good for some people.
3) I feel nothing during Quiet Time honestly.
4) If it’s Quiet Time I would hear things like ringing sounds sometimes, but I don’t know why that happens.
5) It means to me because this is my only time get off my stuff or other work sometimes.
6) Nothing honestly nothing. I think it is ok to do it.
7) It depends some students might not like it, so it really depends.
8) I would recommend to just make it a little bit longer, well, I don’t hate it that is not that long, I just want to recommend it that’s all.
1. I like to sleep and eat.
2. I like how I can sleep because it’s quiet.
3. I normally feel calm and sleepy during quiet time.
4. I notice this is one of the times our class is actually quiet and calm.
5. I it means a lot to me because I choose to sleep late, but I am slowly fixing that.
6. I was surprised that this class can actually be quiet for 15 minutes straight.
7. Titus.(he has the same personality as me).
8. No. I do not have any questions.
1. I usually draw well not draw more like doodle. I doodle on my duo tang with my marker and decorate it.
2. I like that we get a break from work and get to do what I want to do, it’s kind of like the morning walk but we’re not allowed to talk and we’re not walking. There’s nothing I don’t like about quite time expect the fact that we can’t socialize during this time.
3. I feel like I have a choice to do whatever I want which makes it kind of hard to choose what to do so I feel restless during this time because I don’t want to do work but I can’t socialize so there’s nothing to really do.
4. I noticed that its really quiet.
5. it doesn’t really mean anything too me besides just it being a work break and a time for choice
6. it surprised me that this class could be so quiet.
7. I think this whole school should do it.
8. No I don’t have any questions.
Something i like to do during quiet tmie is building dominoes. I like that we can do whatever we want during quiet time. During quiet time i feel calm. During quiet time i notice the moosic. It means nothing to me. I was surprised by nothing. I would recommend it to all schools who want to keep their students calm. I have no questions.
– I mostly just play board games with myself or work on any work that’s not done or sometimes I do today’s homework or any upcoming homework.
– I love quiet time and there is nothing wrong with it. Everything is perfect, music, peace, everything.
– I feel very relaxed during quite time because you can do anything you want but not talk to anyone.
– I notice that everyone looks very relaxed and happy.
– To me, it means peace because it’s the only time of the day when everyone is so quiet.
– One thing that surprised me is when it was first introduced to me, I thought everyone would be loud, but surprisingly it was pretty quiet the first time we did it. I would recommend it to my mom because I think she needs that time to have peace.
– No, I have no questions at all.
1. I choose to sit in my seat and think.
2. I like how it is a time for me to sit in class and do nothing but sit there because sometimes I like to do nothing but sit there.
3. I feel like I want to take a nap in a quiet time.
4. I noticed that quiet time is a time to take a rest.
5. Quiet time means to me that it is time to take a break.
6. Nothing surprised me at quiet time because isn’t it supposed to be a quiet time?
7. I would recommend it to people who need a quiet time.
8. No, I don’t have any questions for quiet time.
1. I usually draw or just think I don’t really do much; I usually just don’t do anything though.
2. I like that its quiet and there’s music, it’s really calming it’s probably one of my favorite activities in school.
3. I feel calm and that nothing is going to bother me; it’s a time when I can think without getting bothered.
4. I notice that we aren’t allowed to talk to others, and we must stay in our personal space, which is good, since that’s the whole point of QUIET time.
5. It means that I get to be quiet, and nobody will speak to me, which is good.
6. What surprises me is that this loud class can be quiet, since this class is mostly very loud and that quiet time is not 20 minutes!!!!!!
7. I would 100% recommend it to people seeking a quiet and peaceful time. I also think it’s 2x better to have music turned on. I think it could possibly help with mental health. (depends on what type)
8. I do have a question about it. What made you want to start quiet time in your class?
During Quiet Time, we’re not allowed to talk to anyone, but we can do anything we want other than that. I like to read during Quiet Time, since, with the busy Div.1 schedule, it’s hard to find the time. Even during Purposeful Play… it’s too loud to concentrate. Of course, sometimes when I’m swamped in schoolwork, or even homework that I don’t want to bring home, Quiet time is a good time to catch up or get ahead, too. Good environment to concentrate in, as I said earlier. Writing a short story is also an option for me.
There are few things that can be improved on Quiet Time. One would be a longer Quiet Time or more frequent Quiet Times. Quiet Time is meant to be a break from work, but, ironically, often times is replaced by time dedicated to work that we desperately need to get done.
“We won’t have Quiet Time today,” Ms. Smith would say as she erases “Quiet Time” from the whiteboard where our Shape of The Day is posted.
She does the same thing the next day. And the next.
Eventually, Quiet Time seems to have disappeared. Vanished.
Another thing that can be improved in Quiet Time is, well, being quiet. Not that exactly, but “staying in your own personal bubble.” Sometimes it is good to write in silence. In fact, the deep thinking you do in order to get ideas for what to write is quite enjoyable. However, the better way to get ideas is by sharing them with other people. You give your friend one idea and they tweak it a bit. Then you sharpen their idea a tad bit. Then again. Eventually, you end up with a completely different idea, but one that is endlessly more brilliant.
Now, how do you get those endlessly brilliant ideas if you can’t communicate to your friends? Notice I said ‘communicate’. Not ‘talk’. Both friends need to think about how they can refine and rephrase the ideas, and they can’t concentrate if everyone else is chattering away. Writing notes to each other is way more… preferable.
Of course, that can’t happen if we have to stay in our “own personal bubbles.”
Regardless, I still like Quiet Time. Feels very… self-centered. Even if I can’t co-write a story with my friends, I can still do a bunch of other activities. It’s a good break, although it feels like something’s missing. What that is, I don’t yet know.
During my first Quiet Time, something that surprised me was the Indian Flute Music. I thought it would be genuinely quiet. Turns out, the Indian Flute Music is actually a good addition to it. Covers up the deafening silence that would roar without it as well as the sound of fidgeting, papers turning, and whatever sounds that come from whatever the other kids are doing.
Who would I recommend it to? I don’t know– other classes? The particularly busy classes, probably.
I have no questions about Quiet Time. It is a simple concept.
However… it’s almost the end of the school year. I wonder when the last Quiet Time will happen? I really hope we get at least one more.
1. During Quiet Time, I often read, but sometimes I choose to do assignments that are assigned by the teacher for homework so that I don’t have to do as much homework at home.
2. I like the fact that no one is talking and that it is very quiet and calm in the classroom. I also like it when there are three chimes at the end of Quiet Time because I think it’s a good way to end Quiet Time.
3. During Quiet Time, I feel calmed down from working the whole morning.
4. I notice that a lot of kids get calmed down with Quiet Time and are less loud. I also notice that there are three chimes at the end of it.
5. I feel that Quiet Time is a really good break from working and it also helps with my mental health just like the morning walk that we do every morning.
6. I noticed that a lot of kids get calmed down and are less hyper or loud with Quiet Time, but I’m not really surprised by anything.
7. I would recommend this to all the other classes at my school and maybe even a lot of other schools so that the students can get a break from working, and the teacher can also have a break from teaching and working.
8. No, I don’t have any questions or concerns about Quiet Time because I think Quiet Time is already good enough.
1. During quiet time I like to draw or rest.
2. I like how during quiet time I get to do what I want. I don’t really dislike anything about quiet time.
3. I feel relaxed and calm during quiet time.
4. I don’t really notice anything.
5. It means that I get to calm down and relax, and do something I like.
6. It surprised me that the class can stay so quiet.
7. I don’t know who I would recommend it to.
8. I don’t have any questions.
Q1) I like to take a nap or think about random stuff because I talk to myself in my head.
Q2) I like that I can do whatever I want as long as I am not disturbing anyone, but I don’t have anything I don’t like about quiet time, it’s just my favourite subject if it is a subject.
Q3) I feel bored, but I take a nap most of the time, so nothing?
Q4) There’s really nothing I notice anything, but I guess I notice that quiet time is kind of the only time the class is quiet.
Q5) It doesn’t really mean anything to me, but I like having it, it’s relaxing.
Q6) Nothing surprised me, but if I had to say something then the class being quiet?
Q7) I would recommend it to myself because I like it.
Q8) No I don’t have any questions.
1. Things that I mostly choose while quiet time is probably assignments that are overdue or assignments that’s due. However, I primarily just take a nap or rest my head during quiet time because it’s the only time I get to relax and not do work and stuff or just draw anything when I get to the point where I’m really bored or not tired at all and I just need time to waste.
2. I like everything about quiet time because quiet time is where basically you do whatever you want and quiet time is the only time I don’t really do work unless it’s important.
3. During quiet time, I feel very calm, relaxed, and I feel a sense of peace. I feel this way because I can quietly do assignments without getting disturbed and since students get really loud I could barely think and focus, so I get this kind of feeling during quiet time
4. I noticed that I get very relaxed and focus when I do my work because I believe that since quiet time is where everyone is quiet, I get more focus because without quiet time, students tend to get really loud and I could barely focus and get my work done because of it.
5. Quiet time means a lot to me because I feel like without quiet time I would have NOT make it past the school year because quiet time helps me to catch up on assigned works and since my Ms. Smith piles up paper after paper and I usually get stressed over it and the noise also makes me go crazy, so quiet time is a perfect time I can actually get work done and feel calm.
6. Nothing about quiet time really surprised me because quiet time is just being quiet and do work or just do whatever you want and nothing about that really surprised me.
7. I would recommend quiet time to people that are stressed and are overwhelmed and might need some place where it’s quiet or need time to rest. I also recommend quiet time to people or students that talk too much and just needs a time to be quiet so they don’t disturb others by how much they talk. I would also recommend quiet time to students that are behind on assignments or need to finish something important.
8. I don’t really have any questions about quiet time. Overall, I believe quiet time is perfect as it is and nothing really about it is questionable.
1. Nothing. Nothing at all. Just breathing and thinking, nothing of note.
2. I dislike quiet time very much, it’s like a morning walk minus, it, unlike its morning walk counterpart is hardly serene or peaceful. It’s just silence. All I can do that is remotely entertaining is stare at the wall. This is likely due to me being extroverted, and very social. Contemplation! I find is fun to an extent, eventually however, it can become increasingly overwhelming as all your thoughts collapse and drown you. Often I find myself wading through a slow swamp of my own thoughts trying to get out of the mud. So I find quiet time a very hollow activity. Why don’t I do anything else? Well, I don’t read much, I have both writer’s and artist’s block, and I don’t enjoy doing much schoolwork.
I find quiet time a highly unenjoyable activity.
3. Boredom, primarily an intense boredom. If I actually get sucked into a book, it can be enjoyable, though when quiet time ends I am rather frustrated I have to stop. Also as I’ve described before, of which I will now describe in increasing detail: The wall of thoughts, it’s like a drone, something overwhelming, completely suffocating, and overpowering. Hysteria inducing terror. I breathe heavier, deeper. Yet, indescribable, you can’t quite put your finger on it, yet it’s choking you out. A scream of help pierces through it. Only one thing recognizable, a shriek from yourself, the words: “Let Me Out” Over and over and over again, a never ending suffering until something tells your brain to signify a transition to a different period. Sometimes, it focuses, and you fixate on one problem or worry, and you can’t escape it. Running in circles as this oppressive feeling crushes you in ever increasing pressure. Yet only moving to the next problem, then the next, then the next.
4. What do I notice in quiet time, if not the previous tortuous events, then I would likely focus on the class’s appearance, and/or the music being played.
5. For me, it’s ironically awkward for me to criticize quiet time since it seems such a noble gesture. It seems to have helped so many people, and been effective, and yet to me, it is such a boredom causing waste of fifteen minutes only good for freeing me of Sex-Ed, Math, or French. It is a good intentioned activity, and so well beloved, but I really dislike it. So, to me it symbolizes a quote-end-quote “‘Break”‘ and quote-end-quote “‘Rest”‘, in spite of the boredom it causes me; A rest in technicality alone.
6. The only thing surprising about quiet time is when Ms. Smith says ‘We don’t have time for quiet time today’ and it goes away.
7. Nobody.
8. No.
I usually don’t do anything during quiet time and pretend I don’t know I exist. I sit there and stare at whatever is happening in the room. If not, I try to do schoolwork.
I like that the quiet break allows us to dissociate from everything. We get to do what we want, as long as it’s quiet, and even sleep. This isn’t really quiet time’s fault, but I don’t know what to do during quiet time, other than stare at people. After a while, it starts to get boring staring at people. I don’t like the Indian flute music much. Maybe it’s because I listened to it too many times, but I am glad I will probably never hear it again.
I feel neutral during quiet time – I don’t feel anything special.
Quiet time is never fully quiet. I have no memories of going through quiet time without at least three voices speaking at once. That’s fine, because I talk too – It’s just something I’ve noticed. Another thing I’ve noticed is that the chimer never rings the chime properly at the end. It’s often either too fast or too loud.
Quiet time is time for us to try to be calm and do what we feel like doing. It’s basically just like a normal break, with the rule of having to shush.
What could be surprising about quiet time? There’s not much happening, it’s quiet, and everyone is doing their own thing. What’s so surprising about that?
I would recommend quiet time to any school containing a bunch of students acting out or skipping school. They need a quiet break.
No.
1. I like finishing my extra work during quiet time. It is a great time to finish your work. You can also rest or draw during quiet time.
2. What I like about quiet time is that it is a time that you could rest or finish your work. There is nothing I don’t like about quiet time, I like everything about quiet time.
3. I feel like it is a time to stay calm and to finish my work. I feel like that quiet time is a time for you to do anything that is like work, draw, or stay in your own bubble.
4.It keeps us more positive because it is a time for you to stay in your own bubble, it keeps everybody calm from the long class time.
5. It means to me that it is the time to be quiet and stay in your own bubble, since everybody is usually noisy, it is a time to calm down. You should not talk during quiet time.
6. What surprised me is that you can take a rest or sleep. It is perfect for the people that are always really tired and they sleep in class. It is also good if you are tired after learning for half of day of school.
7. I would recommend it to the other people in the next year class. I will also recommend it to people that needs to finish their work and to take a rest.
8. I don’t have any question about quiet time.
1. During quiet time I like to catch up on work that was just handed out, or I sit there quietly and think. It’s a good time for me to think more about what we learned and understand it. If we were just taught a lot of things I would spend that time taking notes about the important things, so I don’t forget.
2. I like how quiet time is peaceful and calm because I can think better that way. Sometimes I don’t like quiet time because I don’t like the music, but it’s not that bad.
3. During quiet time I usually feel calm, peaceful, and relaxed, other times I feel bored. I’m also always surprised at how quiet everyone actually is. I would think everyone would still talk, just quietly.
4. I notice that everyone obeys the teachers’ rules during quiet time.
5. Quiet time doesn’t mean anything to me personally.
6. The way every kid obeyed the teachers rules about quiet time really surprised me. Another thing that surprised me is how everyone likes quiet time and never complains about “wasting time” doing quiet time.
7. I would recommend quiet time to high schools because it’s a good strategy to help kids and adults focus.
8. I don’t have any questions.
1) I sometimes do my schoolwork and homework, so I do not have to do it at home. If I do not have any work or when I do not want to do it, I usually choose to read, draw, or play board games I invented myself. If all that gets boring, I just sit there and stare into space. It also gives me time to look around the classroom because most of the time, the class is either looking at what is on their desk or at the front of the room, where Ms. Smith usually is.
2) I like quiet time because I like having time for myself. I like that we get a break from work because our class always does so much work. I also like the quiet. The class is usually very loud and obnoxious. But I should not be talking because I am usually one of the loud ones. I also like listening to the music that is played during quiet time because it is very calming. I also like the music. It would be awkward just sitting there in silence. There is one thing I would like to change about quiet time and that is that we should have quiet time every day, instead of skipping it so much when we do not have time to do it. Another thing is that we should have quiet time in the afternoon, after going outside and playing. It would be an effective way to calm everyone down.
3) I feel calm and relaxed during quiet time. Usually, I feel sort of stressed out a bit during class time. But now I don’t feel that way that much anymore because the school year is coming to an end resulting in less work. I sometimes also feel sort of sleepy if I did not get enough sleep the other night. There were a few times when I had felt bored. I was doing something interesting with my friends and then quiet time started so I could not continue the conversation. And by the time quiet time was over, we had all completely forgotten about that conversation.
4) I noticed that our class can actually be quiet because, as I said, our class can become very loud, especially when there are no adults in the classroom. As Ms. Smith has said ‘It sounds like there is a party in here!’ Something else I noticed was that I would always hear at least 2-3 voices during quiet time. But that does not bother me that much because half of the time, one of those few voices belongs to me, even though we are not supposed to be talking. Another thing I noticed was that there is a chime at the end. But every single time (well, almost every time) the person who is supposed to ring the chime, called the chimer, makes the chime too loud, too quiet, too slow, too fast, too little, too much, or not at all.
5) Quiet time means a break from class time. It means that we can have time to just sit there and forget about everything else. It means that people can catch up on some work. For me personally, quiet time means that I can have quiet (though it is never truly quiet during quiet time). It means that my classmates cannot bug me as much as usual. It means that I can have time to catch up or go ahead on work.
6) When quiet time was first introduced to me, I was surprised by the concept of it. However, this was not the first time I have done this sort of thing. In previous classes, we had silent reading, right after lunch, but when I did it, we were allowed to talk quietly amongst ourselves. Another thing that surprised me was the chimer. At first, I did not see the point of having a chime at the end. But once I got used to it, I did not really think it was weird anymore. Something else also surprised me, and this is the most surprising of all. It is the class being quiet.
7) I would recommend quiet time to all schools of all grades. I would also recommend it to adults who are busy or those who need some quiet. It is a terrific way to relax and calm down. Everyone should have a quiet time sometime in their day.
8) No, I do not have any questions or concerns about quiet time whatsoever. It is fine the way it is.