New Block Schedule: Beneficial or Tragic?
The new block schedule has been a very controversial change within the Episcopal Academy academic community. Students in the Upper School, who have not yet experienced the schedule, have the opinion of “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Many believe that the new block schedule would result in more homework and classes that are too long, even though its true purpose is to eliminate large amounts of after school work and create a balance within students schedules that’s less chaotic. According to the head of the Latin Department, Stephen Bosio, who has been using the schedule for the past two weeks during the middle schools trial run says, "It makes the day less hectic. Middle Schoolers who you know complain a lot, [they] like the idea of more free time and study hall.”
When one views the new schedule, they can automatically spot differences from the current one. For example, the new schedule is based on a, eight-day rotation instead of twelve. Furthermore, classes only meet for five out of the eight days rather than eleven out of twelve. Additionally, Z block is removed and replaced with G and H block. Advisory also occurs later in the day along with a new period called “Flex Time.” This time can be used for recess, to meet with a teacher, or as a study hall. An interesting characteristic within this new schedule is the range in length of the periods. Four out of the five classes for middle school and upper school are fifty-five minutes, while one class for middle school is sixty-five minutes and is seventy minutes in high school. Lastly, the times at which they commence and finish is unique. It is no longer the classic and comfortable change time that ends with either the number "0" or "5" but periods that start at 12:52 and end at 1:47. Along with this, the time in between each class has been minimized from five minutes to four.
Less homework? With the new schedule, upper school students would have four to five core classes a day instead of the current seven core classes a day. This would give students more time to do homework during the school day, as well as at home because they could potentially have multiple days to do this homework. More class time would not equal more homework. It would mean more could be accomplished. “I like that there is less homework now,” Lauren Jones, an eighth grader says, “Now I have more time to do things that I want to do when I get home, like watching TV.”
The only concern brought up with the new schedule seems to be the overlap between middle and upper school lunch. “We only get a certain amount of time to eat lunch and then we get flex time," claims Jones. But she reports that “no one really uses flex time for anything useful like it is intended for. Instead, it goes to waste.” These are concerns that students and teachers are not able to fix, but need the administration to look into.