Consultation: A Hidden Gem from the Stephan Archives.

There's no way that the following article is satire. 

According to records recently uncovered by the 2023-2024 Heely Scholars from the Stephan Archives, Lawrenceville had a mysterious block in the academic day several decades ago where students were encouraged–instead of studying quietly–to spend time simply interacting with their teachers and peers. 

This allotted time, named “Consultation,” dated back to the Lawrenceville School’s earliest years, when it was still Maidenhead Academy. This short, daily period existed solely for hungry minds to satiate desperate academic inquiries, and is only vaguely remembered through oral myths and evidence scattered across the sparse archival accounts. Although increasing academic stress has reignited the community’s need for such a block, the School is reluctant to reinstitute this once-ubiquitous policy. This “Consultation-drought” raises questions regarding fundamental issues leading to the demise of such an odd period and underscores its effects on students’ time management skills. This paper will explore the historical significance of Consultation at the Lawrenceville School, investigate the reasons for its decline, and discuss its broader implications on academic culture.

We first must ask, even if there were valid justifications for Consultation’s existence in the hazy past, does the Lawrencevile of today even need it? The School is renowned for its academic rigor and challenging courses: students spend considerable amounts of time completing their homework to master essential concepts pertinent to achieving academic success, an undoubtedly arduous endeavor. A typical school day is packed with co-curriculars, club meetings, study hall, tutoring sessions, orchestra, choir, and more, rendering Lawrenceville students insurmountably busy. Is it really feasible to insert another social period right in the middle of the day? Students must prioritize studying and grinding out their extra-curricular activities over nurturing strong, personal connections with their teachers. Anyone partaking in such a period must lack the time management skills to get their work done out of class, without any assistance. Students’ ability to plan out work months in advance would be adversely affected by a Consultation period. It would merely distract them from the real virtue Lawrenceville instills: fluency with Google Calendar. 

Although the Scholars found no definitive evidence explaining why Consultation was removed, simple reasoning provides insight: there was simply no need to use the period, as athletics’ increasingly prominent place in School culture encouraged students to skip it. Additionally, the commemoration of holidays and special events often canceled school days, along with unpredictable weather and school schedule adjustments like advisory meetings and snow days. We can also guess that nobody wanted to get up in the morning for Wednesday consultation and that by Saturday, students were simply too tired to care. 

As a result, Consultation was lost to Lawrenceville’s complicated school-life dynamic. As other various commitments played essential roles in enriching Lawrentians’ lives, its sacrifice helped students learn how to plan rigorously. For example, the Eclipse next term will prompt a schedule change (and also cause all electronics to stop working), so organizing one’s homework schedule around this event (catastrophe?) is something any Lawrentian should be able to do well in advance. The calls to reinstitute Consultation speak volumes about students’ inability to respond flexibly to predictable changes. Really, time management skills cannot be bought without the stress and consistent sleepless nights: as they say, no pain, no gain. 

The dilemma remains: should Lawrenceville bring back Consultation? Absolutely not. 

It is very likely that students will come to rely on technology to study, and a physical teacher will not be the best way to learn when Reddit or Chat GPT are both easily available. These technological tools will also aid students in their constant quest to parcel their time more efficiently. Anyone eager to spend time discussing Consultation must first ask themselves if the next three months of their life is planned out yet. If not, what are you even waiting for? Go get scheduling!