Whether you sign up for games, a study hall, or you stay in catch-all, everyone in the Junior High has to sign up for a wildcat time every day that they’re at school. These wildcat times give students extra time to complete work for their classes outside their designated period blocks. If all of your work is complete, you sign up for more fun activities, such as gym or board games. Whether it’s a fun activity or a study hall, every teacher needs to make wildcat times for their students. I asked 2 teachers how they create and maintain interesting Wildcat times.

One of the teachers I interviewed was Mrs. Braden, an 8th-grade English teacher. Mrs. Braden uses her wildcat time slots for calm activities such as study halls and other calming activities. Mrs. Braden told me that she creates these activities based on what she wants and what all the students want to do. Mrs. Braden also keeps her activities fresh by keeping different activities changing based on the day, and these activities also change based on the time of year, and what the students want to do.

The other teacher I interviewed was Mrs. Myers, who is our librarian and teaches several electives. She creates fun and social wildcat times in the library, such as board games, calm and colorful, and book check-out. Mrs. Myers creates her wildcat times from student suggestions, what she thinks people will like, and book checkout to give students a chance to sign out books during the school day. She also keeps her activities fresh by asking students who come often what they like and dislike.