With the 2019-2020 school year coming to an end, many changes are expected to come. Among these changes, unexpectedly, is a new schedule. For the 2020-2021 school year, the administration has decided to remove block days and advisement. This change may come as a shock for rising classes, as students have only experienced a block schedule week during high school. Although many may see this change as beneficial, there are also some who may see it as an issue when it comes to longer activities in classrooms.

At face value, this new schedule can be very beneficial for some students. For example, dual enrollment, virtual, or students with a modified schedule will now have a more consistent schedule, unlike block days where students may be leaving or starting school at unusual times. With this, it will also help new transfer students coming to the school, as every day’s schedule will be uniform.

“I feel like since I am only going to be on campus for three classes a day, the new schedule will help me since I don’t have to worry about leaving my classes at different times on different days. Since I do a lot of extracurriculars such as NHS and beach volleyball, this new schedule will make it easier for me to plan my schedule,” said junior Maggie Pisarik.

For teachers, this new schedule is also helpful as it will make planning classes easier f. Rather than having to plan for a block period, which is an hour and a half, teachers only need to plan for the regular 49 minute class periods.

Although the new schedule may have many positive effects, the change will impact a lot of students and teachers negatively. For example, if a teacher gives a test that needed a full hour and a half to complete, they will need to split it up into two days, which may also increase the amount of cheating among students. Along with this, students may not be allocated the same amount of time as they would need to ensure that they have done their best effort on any work such as labs that need to be completed on longer days.

“The biggest change will be lab times for my underclassmen. I will need to adjust the structure slightly. I do want them to have the opportunity to maximize their learning. Besides underclassmen, my seniors will not be affected as much since I will continue to see them on a double period schedule. This can affect teachers that rely on blocks to do their labs and other assignments that may occupy more class time,” said Dr. Jeannine Difranco McKinley, one of the Health Academy teachers at Seminole. 

Overall, the new schedule has many pros when it comes to the consistency of students on campus. However, it may bring some cons when it comes to tests and other kinds of longer classroom activities. 

Have any thoughts on the new schedule? Let us know in the comments or @seminolenewspaper !!