Don’t Block the Block Schedules

By Marisa Mauro

            You’re sitting at home on your bed looking at your assignments due the next day, and the countless hours you have to review and study. This may be after you’ve had a game, a school concert, or family obligations. You find yourself cramming or finishing your work or studying with every minute you have before you fall asleep on your pile of books, hours before waking up the next day for school. This is a typical night for many.

School can be very challenging for students, especially those in sports, advanced classes or school activities. There are students who just want to get home, take a break after an exhausting day before hitting the books for homework and review. However, the thought of going to school and performing well for eight different periods can be mentally exhausting. The homework and studying for each class every night piles up, and many don’t know where to start. A solution to this challenge are providing block schedules. Block schedules are becoming very popular in many schools, and students are wanting options to change their schedules which creates a better learning cycle and home-life. 

Block schedules are very simple in regards to how they work. One example schedule consists of four classes every day for ninety minutes, ten minute passing periods, and a forty-eight minute lunch period. This is very convenient to those students stressing to study during their lunch for their next class with a regular schedule. The classes one day, won’t be the same as the next day. This cycle of the classes repeats every other day. With this schedule, students are able to come home and truly focus on those set of classes that night. They’re even able to finish it the upcoming night as well since they have different classes the following day. Stressing about studying would diminish as it allows more time to work with your teacher or get a test done in a period.

When sitting in a classroom, the first thought is what you are going to have to get done that night. Your hands start to tremble and you may not focus on the true importance of the class, educating yourself. With longer periods, you can go up to your teacher and ask the questions without trying to finish what is assigned to you. When taking a test, you may have thoughts on other classes that day. It can be psychologically harmful to yourself and being able to accomplish things to your greatest abilities. Tapping your pencil or stressing will become the least of your worries. When stepping up the podium to receive your diploma on graduation day, you want to know that going into your college experience, you want to be academically prepared and taken seriously. However, you need your high school grades to be to your highest potential and show the hard work you did.

Sports or other activities can be focused on more, especially due to more time to study or increase your abilities. It starts in the classroom, and being able to have these longer periods will create advantages for students and understanding the material as a whole. Students have more time to work on projects or seminars and can prepare for these with more time at home. Attending school can be something people may not look forward to, and being a student in this position, I can agree. However, studies are huge to me and my success. If block schedules can increase my learning abilities and strive to achieve, then it can be beneficial for students all around.

Students shouldn’t have to face the burden of homework and studying for all their classes on a daily basis. Allowing this block schedule to be implemented in schools will increase their academic success with regards of having work turned in, better retention of the material, and fewer worries with misbehavior. Creating a goal and having enough time to achieve it will make students prepared for college and lead them to the right path of success.