Some might see Teachers as Advisors (TAA) as an advantage for extra time to do homework and an easy half credit, while others look at it as a nuisance. However, it is a class meant to inform students on non-academic subjects that relate to the real world and that are affecting Etowah. 

“TAA can be a good platform to spread information not conventionally taught in regular periods,” Janae Lee, senior, said. 

Students have many mixed feelings about TAA. According to a survey of 33 Etowah students, 70 percent thought it was a waste of time, and 30 percent thought it was beneficial. Students rated it 3.5 out of five stars. 

“I don’t like how it’s after 1st period because my 1st is in the 4000 building, and TAA is at East. Then my second period is in the 6000 building. I don’t like breaking a sweat before noon,” Kennady Holloway, senior, said. 

Every Monday, Etowah is on a different bell schedule, shortening classes in order to squeeze time in for TAA. Some students find the schedule to be an inconvenience as it disrupts their regular schedule for the day. 

“I think it is nice to come together as a class and get reacquainted before you start your week, but I also think it should be during your first period, so you don’t have to walk so much, “Capri Kelly, senior, said. 

TAA covers lessons from outside the classroom that can affect students, such as the importance of mental health, drug use, and school events. Students who dual enroll do not go to TAA. Instead, they get sent all of the information from class that day.  

“TAA is a good class that gives us information that other classes would not,” Beatrice Aenlle, freshman, said. 

The school implemented TAA to give students an outlook on real things that happen at and around high school, such as drug use and mental health. With so many students at Etowah, it is difficult to know who is silently struggling and who is not. While some students take TAA for granted, the school has worked to provide its students resources they may need.