I "D" "G" "A" "F"

After over a week of classes, most community members realize the difference between this year’s schedule and last. Classes now start earlier in the school day but end later; we have five classes each day; we no longer have late starts on Wednesdays; Help blocks don’t last thirty minutes; and the classes occur in no logical sequence. Looking at these facts, you might wonder: why did we change?

Having more classes each day encourages classes to explore topics in greater depth and leaves plenty of time to prepare for harder subjects. Additionally, for those worried about being too burdened, more classes means everyone can enjoy more of their free blocks with a sleep-in at least once every two weeks. Compared to last year, when there were terms without any sleep-ins for some unfortunate students, morning classes are now distributed evenly, allowing equal opportunity for the precious sleep-ins everyone loves.

However, the confusion over the varying lengths of non-sequential classes makes it hard for students to memorize class schedules. Some classes are an hour long, and other classes are an hour and 15 minutes long. A day’s schedule being “G,” “A,” “F,” then “C” and “D,” for instance, forces students to constantly scan their Google Calendars, checking what class they have next block or looking at which assignments to complete for the next day. Imagine having finished homework for “B” instead of “D” just to realize you didn’t have it the next day.

Nonetheless, there is one day that students have only four classes. On Tuesdays after the first class, an hour is designated for club activities, in contrast to last year when clubs barely met once a term. At that time, students often signed up for more than ten clubs but never met in any of them. This year, students can expect to engage in their clubs and have something to write in their college applications, as many desire.

Now, here is my question: we have plenty of time to study and prepare for the future, but where is the time to take care of ourselves? With the loss of an extra 30 minutes of sleep-ins on Wednesdays and a short chat with your friends during Help, we are busy rushing off to our next class after barely finishing the corrections for Chemistry. Sometimes, you don’t have time to head back to the dorms to finish homework or retrieve a forgotten item. Growing and nurturing time management skills and responsibility is crucial for students to learn in school, but having an overly strict schedule could ironically deteriorate students’ ability to manage their time when they have the freedom to choose what they can do.

I believe that some freedom should be allowed for students to make choices about utilizing their time, not only because there isn’t enough leisure time for students to rest physically and mentally, but also because students need to gain independence. As we go up in grade levels, we should be given more liberty to prepare for the future, plan schedules, and manage time ourselves.