Our position: Having a block schedule is more beneficial to students.

Everyone has been there: doing homework from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Before students know it, it’s the next day and they have to be at school to do it all over again. 

This endless cycle occurs from Monday night to Thursday night. Students wake up the next day or same morning, go to eight 48-minute periods, and get assigned homework due the next day. During school, students have trouble with engagement due to lack of sleep. 

A solution to this rigorous schedule is the implementation of a block schedule. Students would have periods one through four three days a week and periods five through eight two days a week, where the two different days would alternate each week. 

This schedule would allow for longer class time, perhaps double the amount of time compared to now. Extra time in class would permit more in-depth lessons, detailed discussions, and opportunities for students to get more one-on-one time with teachers for questions or whatever would be helpful. Students would be provided more opportunities to interact with their peers in an effort to learn from their classmates.

Having double the amount of time in class would also allow for more test time. This would reduce or eliminate the stress on a test day of not finishing the test and having to sporadically guess on the remaining questions. There is already added stress on test days and the factor of time only increases this anxiety. 

Aside from more class time, students would be given an extra day to do their homework for every class. Not only would students be given the extra day for assignments, but they also would have the opportunity to go into more detail and feel confident with their homework rather than rushing to complete all of it where they might not get a full understanding of the lesson. 

According to the National Education Association, a block schedule creates a positive domino effect on students and their mental health. Students would eliminate some stress in completing assignments because if they forgot to do their homework one night or didn’t have time, they would still have an extra day to complete it. Additionally, students would get better sleep from having half of the number of classes for homework. They would benefit from better sleep because they would be able to avoid staying up to complete their homework because it wouldn’t be due until the following day. Additionally, students would have more time in their personal lifes, for a job, club, time with friends and family, and more. 

Ultimately, having the full eight-period schedule five days a week is a lot on students and their mental health. This adds more pressure to their already busy nights during the school week, and having a block schedule would eliminate these stress factors. 

Staff Vote: 16 – 9