It takes time to learn

After two weeks of the newly implemented seven-period day in the Mat-Su Borough School District, the weaknesses of this new schedule are truly beginning to impact students.

Last year, when the seven-period day was introduced, the thought was appealing to many. As a very involved student in my junior year of high school, I was excited to hear that we would have seven periods because it would allow an extra period for another class I previously had no time for, or even an off-campus hour I had not anticipated.

For fellow students less involved, it meant they, too, had an opportunity for an off-campus period or to make up a required class to graduate. For underclassmen it meant they had another class to add to their workload already.

As a student who takes Advance Placement classes, the extra period is not the problem, it is the shorter classes. For students taking higher-end courses such as Advance Placement or International Baccalaureate, it can be crucial that they have long periods of class to allow enough time to go over everything necessary and still have time to learn the lesson.

In this new schedule, not only are there seven classes, but it is also a block schedule. This means that on Monday and Friday students have all seven periods, but Tuesday through Thursday there are only five periods a day that alternate. The worst part is students’ have their fourth-period class every day for a mere 45 minutes.

I have AP calculus fourth hour and with it being such a rigorous course, 45 minutes is hardly enough time to get warmed up with a few problems, complete the homework and then learn the new information, not to mention when we have to take tests.

Another major flaw of this new schedule is the removal of advisory, a half-hour for students to use however it best suited them. This time was essential for students to use as a study hall, attend club meetings and to make up tests. At Colony, it was a homeroom that students were assigned when they were freshmen and they stayed in that class all four years of high school. It provided a home-base feel for freshmen new to high school and created more personal relationships between students and teachers.

Without this allotted time many students have been impacted with staying after school for meetings and making up work. For the students who do not drive and rely on bus transportation, this creates a huge problem since they don’t even have the capability of staying late.

The reality of the seven-period day is that it does not meet the students’ needs. It has taken away imperative class time necessary for ambitious students, eliminated the study hall many students relied on to stay on top of work andhurt those who ride the bus and cannot stay after class. It has overall created a heavier workload for students already taking a full schedule.

While this schedule may be aesthetically appealing, it is actually doing more harm than good. It takes time to learn, and with this new system time is definitely lacking.

Casey Branch is a senior at Colony High School.