Four minutes between classes does not provide a student enough time to travel from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’ if say, point ‘a’ is the practice marching field and point ‘b’ is physics on the third floor. Sitting in the ag barn on top of the hill, students watch the clock with perspiration atop their brow. When the dull ring vibrates through the walls signaling their dismissal, students blow through the door, tumbling down the sometimes muddy hill, desperately taking the stairs two-at-a time hoping to get to their next class without a tardy.They have to hustle every step of the way if they wish to arrive on time.
Rumors began at the end of the 2011 school year that the A/B block schedule would be eliminated along with its freshly implemented starting and ending time. The speculated new schedule began to travel from one pair of ears to another. During summer vacation, students and parents were informed that the new schedule would be implemented. Students travel to all eight periods Monday through Wednesday from 8:00 to 3:35. Each class is 48 minutes long and lunch is 43. Instead of the usual five minutes to travel from class to class, students must make it in four. Thursdays and Fridays are split into even and odd days, each class lasting an hour and thirty minutes with dismissal at 3:05. The passing periods on these days move back to five minutes.
Besides the apparent fact that reaching class on time Monday through Wednesday is difficult, teachers may notice another issue in class. In order to hastily get out the door, students tend to watch the clock and begin to pack up all of their books and supplies earlier than most teachers would like. A majority of teachers work from bell to bell, meaning that every minute in their class is important. With only four minutes between periods, students will no doubt continue this behavior if not heighten it. This frustrates the teacher and her agenda because not all of her work will be finished. Furthermore, students used to utilize this time between classes to use the restroom or to grab a quick snack to get them through the rest of the day. Seven hours is a long time to be indoors trying to grasp eight subjects. If students don’t have the time to use the restroom before class, they ask to go during. If allowed to go, this hinders the teacher, the student, and the entire class by making the teacher either wait for the student to come back or to just go on with her subject. It disrupts class and encourages others to also go. The only other choice is to be late for class. Tardies add up into Saturday detentions and possibly AEP placement. To go, or not to go?
Even with all the controversy, with the new schedule came great benefits. Students now get out of school earlier than before. This allows more time for homework and extracurricular planning. Students can go to work and get off earlier. This does give students more time in their day, but it comes with an unnecessary price. Someone may argue that taking away one minute from each passing period allows for the school day to automatically become seven minutes shorter. This is true, but students start to pack up their supplies and laptops at least a minute early anyway.
The schedule should give a minute back to each passing period and eliminate that minute from the class. This gives students adequate time between classes to use the restroom or to print something out for their next class.
