New schedule is beneficial for students

The school has recently adopted a new schedule for the 2022-23 school year. A similar  block schedule to last year’s continues on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with regulating collaboration days on Mondays or Fridays to coincide with miscellaneous holidays in order to avoid disrupting students’ and teachers’ schedules. With more stable class times and the introduction of Matador Enrichment (or M.E. Time), the new schedule is beneficial for students, staff, and parents alike. 

While the new block schedule may be confusing at first, it is formatted conveniently to provide equal class time for all periods across three days. Previously, the time a student spent in each class could be uneven because of holidays and student free days cutting out classes, while collaboration fell on Wednesdays. As these days off commonly fell on Mondays or Fridays, they conflicted with the schedule. Now, with the block schedule being from Tuesdays to Thursdays, class disruptions are mitigated.

Additionally, M.E. Time is beneficial to both students and teachers. Occurring after a small break, students are able to sign up for extra time in one of their classes. For M.E. time, teachers are also able to select certain students to grant further assistance regarding their grades. M.E. Time gives students extra instructional time during school hours instead of having to attend after-school programs, saving valuable time for everyone. 

The new schedule is not the easiest to memorize or adjust to; students and teachers may forget their schedule or what period they are supposed to attend.  With the addition of M.E. Time, potential confusion could be brought upon students and teachers as their M.E. Time periods vary weekly due to the free choice of classes. Some students may forget or choose to not schedule their M.E. Time periods, bringing further confusion to teachers and students as the student is placed into a random open class. While these reasons are sensible, some uncertainty regarding the new schedule is expected as it was implemented only recently. Overall, students and teachers will continue to adjust to the schedule as it gradually becomes increasingly familiar over time. 

The new schedule is keen on maximizing learning time for students while also providing equal opportunities to all of their classes. While this new schedule is not perfect, it is a positive step forward for students, staff, and parents.