As a student at LFHS, you are familiar with the Wednesday and Thursday block schedule system. Some students love it, while others hate it. The main reason for the hatred of block days can be attributed to the 80-minute class periods. Classes can feel dragged on, and not all students can stay focused on one subject for longer than 45 minutes.
As a freshman, in the middle of each block period, each class would take a collective ten-minute break to either take a walk, get a snack, or go to the bathroom. However, now, as a junior, I only have five-minute breaks in half of my classes. In my opinion, upperclassmen deserve breaks in each of their classes, just like underclassmen. I understand how it can be a difficult transition from a middle schooler to a high schooler, and these breaks are nice for younger students, but, as you get older, you generally take more complex classes, making a small break quite useful for students to refresh themselves in order to continue learning.
Some teachers, like social studies teacher Mrs. Cheryl Kyrias, think that students deserve a break mid-block period, “I provide a short break to all of my classes on the block day. I do this because paying attention for 80 minutes can be difficult, so the goal is to switch it up and reinvigorate students to keep learning after the break. Usually, we do something as a class first- we typically play The New York Times Connections game. Then, I allow students to leave the room to go to the bathroom, get water, etc. I find that by doing this, it breaks up class nicely, gives students’ brains a break, and allows students to continue learning and engaging successfully after the break.”
From another perspective, block days are good for many reasons. First, class starts at 9 A.M. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which is 45 minutes later than on a regular school day. This can give students some extra time to sleep or have a more relaxed morning schedule.
“I like block days. I think they give us a little refresh midweek, and allow us to focus on certain subjects more,” junior Callum Morrison said.
The second reason block days are beneficial is because they allow for Personal Learning Time (PLT). With the late start on Wednesdays, many students’ mornings consist of heading into PLT, which is from 7:45 A.M. to 8:45 A.M. During PLT, students can meet their teachers for extra help, test review, or just to come in and say hi. I believe that PLT is very valuable and that it is quite helpful for students who may require some individualized attention.
Block days can also be nice for students because they focus on only one subject for a longer period of time. The longer class periods can also reduce stress for students because the homework load is split in half. However, some students still oppose block days.
“I have a hard time staying focused during the 80-minute periods. Each class feels so long and makes the day drag on. Sure, it can be nice not having as much homework for one night. But, at the end of the day, it feels like the same amount of work that it would be with a regular schedule,” junior Claire Lynch said.
Overall, I believe the block scheduling system is beneficial for us as students, but I still stand by my point that upperclassmen deserve a short ten-minute break per block period.
