Dear Teachers Who Go Over Time,

A one-block class is 50 minutes. Not 54. Not 51. Not even 50 minutes and 30 seconds. It is 50 even.

I understand that it's disrespectful to interrupt while you're teaching. And I get that you work hard and want to make sure we get all of the information we need to be successful. But wanting to be dismissed when class is over is not just about being impatient or ungrateful. So next time you remind everyone that, "I dismiss you and will let you know when you can leave," or chastise a kid for sneaking out while you're still talking past your technical time limit, keep this in mind.

First of all, we have other classes besides yours. Some of them are right after your class ends. And some of them are across campus. The break in between classes is 15 minutes--that is, in all honesty, a decent amount of time to walk from point A to point B. But when you're traveling from the innards of one of the massive and confusing buildings that make up the campus into the bowels of another one, a good 10 minutes away, that 15 minute window isn't all that much. Granted, it can still be done...but only if you let us leave on time.

Another thing--have you noticed the parking situation on campus? It's lousy. A good majority of students rely on bus transportation to get to and from school. And that's an unreliable thing to rely on. Five extra minutes of class may be nothing to you, but it can be the difference between a bus arriving at the bus stop and a bus departing. It could be the difference between a one-minute wait for an oncoming bus and a twenty-minute wait for the next one in the route.

And that leads me to my final point--in college, time is everything. Yes, our priority first and foremost is to learn and attend your classes. And we're grateful for everything you do for us. But at the same time, there are a lot of things going on outside of class. We have organization meetings to get to. We have jobs to clock in for. We have homework to do. We have to make time to study for your classes between meals, workouts, daily chores and everything in between.

When a five-minute delay after class could turn into a huge wait for the bus or a missed meeting for a different organization, there's a lot more than just five minutes that have been lost. It can result in a loss of more time if we miss our ride. It can result in a loss of credibility if we end up even just a little late for our next commitments. It could even mean five minutes of less pay, which adds up after a while.

Teachers, I love everything you do. But I think that the 50-minute time block deserves a little more respect. While I would never complain about extra material to study with, going a bit late in class can be more than just a mild inconvenience. We don't mean to be rude–we just have our own schedules to worry about too.