The first Tuesday of December at Braintree High School was different than usual school days as many classes had to report to the auditorium because of absent teachers. 

Around eight classes didn’t take place in their classrooms which is due to absent teachers and the struggle to find substitute teachers. 

After an interview with the assistant principal Mr. Delery, it makes sense that we saw this happen as he says it’s common to see absences at the beginning of winter, but why classes go to the auditorium is fairly simple. “Teachers when they need to be out they enter it to the system”, (Software system called Aesop). Then, “A request goes out via email to all of our substitutes who are in that program”. 

In addition we have about seven substitutes in the building, (“Some of them subbing in other districts so they’re not always available to come to braintree”)

, and teachers only cover other classes on occasion depending on their schedule. So when a total of eight classes aren’t covered, it’s necessary to move to the auditorium. Whether it’s productive for students or not is up for debate, but a couple students from Ms. Mulkerrins’ class that were in the auditorium enjoyed it as they said they “liked it and were more comfortable there”. While this issue isn’t as severe as it was during our COVID year in 2021, staff is looking for solutions such as utilizing the many desks in the media center, something Mr. Delery had brought up during the interview. He says “it’s something that we’ll explore”, so don’t be discouraged if you’re not a fan of the auditorium ambiance.