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This year the Washington staff voted to move to a block schedule. Block schedule is a modified schedule where on one day it’s all odd class and another day all even. It is intended to create a deeper engagement between students and teachers. This, however, can come with many different effects on the students.
As students struggle to adapt to the new schedule, many have come out against it, and many are in support of it. In an interview with Justin Draggett, a senior at Washington, he states, “I think that it is really awesome. It makes the day feel shorter and I think it makes us more productive. I wish we had more block days.” More block days can affect students positively in terms of academics and productivity.
Ranjan Suman, another senior, agrees. “The block schedule gets us into a class for longer,” he says. “The longer I’m in a work environment the longer I can stay focused on the subject.” Since the block schedule is designed for more in-depth learning it is much easier for students to finish work before the due date thanks to the extra hour of time after school.
A regular schedule tends to cram work all in one day. Although some classes don’t give homework or give in-class work that can be completed during one period, students are often overwhelmed because of the amount of work being assigned at once. This is where block periods help. “Yes, I feel like I get more work done on the block days,” says Justin. “It’s less cramped.” Suman agrees: “I do like the due dates being pushed. It helps a lot to catch up on other activities and work. It feels like you have a longer amount of time.”
Still, there is the risk of procrastination. Suman claims, “Block days did lower my time slacking off. Some of my teachers give us work and we often take notes during the full period. Since you are in a work environment you should be working longer than usual.”
Nathan Vinoray is a Senior at Washington High School. He was born and raised in Fremont, California. It’s his first year on WHS Hatchet. He hopes to bring out some new topics to Hatchet. He enjoys doing a lot of things in his free time, like 3D modeling, creating personal films, and hanging out with friends and family. Nathan plans to join the Army within the next year or two while trying to major in Engineering and hopes to leave the US and live in Europe for some time.