As it became clear that the threat of covid-19 wasn’t going away over the summer, states started coming up with distance-learning models. Block schedules are what we have now and they’re terrible. They reduce the amount of classes you take each day, but they increase the time spent on each class.
GUSD feels good about the current block scheduling model, because it was created with the input from the community, which included students, parents, and school staff. There has been some debate about keeping block schedules when we go back to campus due to positive reviews. Lynn University, for example, did just that. However, block scheduling is not the best model for Glendale High School.
When I first saw how the block schedule for remote learning was designed, I got confused just like everyone else. Periods 1, 3, 5 are on Mondays and Thursdays and then we have Periods 2, 4, 6 on Tuesdays and Fridays followed by a minimum day of either 1, 3, 5 or 2, 4, 6 on Wednesday.
The classes are 80 minutes long, even though it clearly says “Live interaction for a minimum of 30 minutes per student,” which doesn’t even make sense. But what really bugs me is that they only gave us a 10-minute break in between two 80-minute classes.
Most teachers tell students to use their already short break time to join the Zoom call a few minutes early. It doesn’t look like we’re going to return to campus anytime soon, so whoever is in control of the schedules should reduce the enormous 70-minute lunchtime and add some of that time to the 10-minute passing period instead.
One main reason why block schedules shouldn’t remain once we do return to campus is that 80-minute classes are way too long and boring for a normal person’s attention span. For comparison, Harvard university classes are just 75 minutes long. With current block schedules, we study 5 minutes longer than the people who attend Harvard.
The block schedule also gives you an extra day to do your homework, but at what cost? It physically and emotionally drains you and drives you crazy. Forcing us to sit and do work for 80 minutes is cruel and unhealthy. When we return to campus, you’ll see more people disrupting class out of boredom or just skipping class altogether.
Another reason why we should stick to normal schedules is that it’s unpopular among students. Our Explosion poll shows that as of writing this, 45% of the people are against keeping block schedules after we return to campus. Although our poll is only a small sample size, less than half of students are in favor of keeping this schedule.
Unfortunately, the district’s hands are tied. The California law states that students in grades 4 through 12 must get a minimum of 240 instructional minutes daily for online and in-person classes, at least for now. And although the District can’t do anything about this, we can still make the best out of this situation.
My suggestion is this: when we return to campus, we should have six 40-minute classes every school day, instead of three 80-minute ones. This is what is best for students, as it will maintain student productivity, minimize disruptions, and keep students from burning out.
