Let's make it 'Ex'-Block

Time at Mercersburg Academy is a valuable thing. No matter how hard I try to create a well-balanced schedule, it always feels like I lack the time to do everything that is required of me. Personal time is an even more valuable commodity, and I struggle to find time for myself throughout my busy life on campus. At Mercersburg, we all have hot takes, and mine is that X-Block should be reformed in order to benefit the personal and academic lives of students. 

To be clear, I do not think that X-Block should be abolished completely. I understand the purpose of it and why it is sometimes necessary. As a freshman, X-Block was helpful for teaching us about school culture, what classes are like, how to get involved, and many other useful topics. However, by the end of the fall term, all of these necessary topics had been covered. In the winter and spring term, X-Block has felt like a huge waste of time. Other than Irving-Marshall prep, course registration, and class elections, I have gained nothing from X-Block. And don’t get me started on Info Lit, where we had to hear about plagiarism for what felt like the thirtieth time in a month. 

Because of this, I do not feel like X-Block needs to be an every-week occurrence, and that it does not have to take up an entire class period. X-Block should be reserved only for when it is actually necessary.

A crucial thing our advisers preach to us freshmen is time management. In my opinion, I don't think it's good management of my time to have a 75-minute block dedicated to hearing about what our class t-shirt will look like or whether or not we want Five Guys, Auntie Anne’s, or Chipotle for our class fundraiser (isn’t that why we elect a class council, and can’t these questions be answered in a Google form?). Topics such as these shouldn’t take up such long periods of time in students’ busy schedules. My time could be used more strategically doing homework, sleeping, or even just taking time to relax before PGA.