NODDING AWAY

How block scheduling has impacted student life

When you saw your 2020-2021 Molly Bray, a freshman, acknowledges that during this pandemically-ravaged time. schedule for the first time, block scheduling has its ups and downs. “[Socialization] is really important, especially there was a major change: “There are pros and cons to it,” Bray said. during the quarantine. If you weren’t in touch four-period-a-day block “The cons are I can’t go to choir every day, but I with others, you could feel really alone. I think scheduling. For some, longer do like having a longer time in certain classes like that friends and family are important, especially periods have meant longer time to spend with chemistry. Some classes you need to meet every now, and I couldn’t imagine life without my current friends and more opportunities to make day, so it’s hard to do that.” friends and family,” Bray said new ones. But for others, these hour-and-a-half On the other hand, freshman Hannah Michel While social interaction is important to feeling classes are simply more time to sit at a desk, says she’s grown to appreciate it. connected with the world, for Yang, it is also an preventing students from moving around and “At first I didn’t like it because it takes a while important aspect in growing as a person. exchanging words with friends. to get used to hour and a half long classes every “Socialization is important in a student’s life

Sitting through an 88 minute block feels like day,” Michel said. because it helps them grow their character and quite the departure from 45 minute periods, but Though these longer periods mean more develop into who they want to be,” Yang said. for senior Lulu Yang, it’s been an easy adjustment. time away from friends, it presents a unique Socialization can expose other students to

“I prefer the block because I feel that we can opportunity to talk to new people. their peers’ ideas and how they think, something accomplish more in class,” Yang said. “In some of the classes, your options are either Michel has experienced first hand.

Yang describes her social life in and outside of sit in silence for an extra thirty minutes, or get “It can make the biggest difference ever, seeing class as a full one, and understands the effect on to learn about somebody new and have a cool other peoples’ opinions and how they view the connections going online has had. conversation,” Michel said. world and also having their encouragement.

“We lose the connection a class can build in Social interactions play a key role in a student’s Having someone saying ‘hey, it’s great to see you’ a physical classroom compared to an electronic social, emotional and mental health. For Bray, is amazing,” Michel said. class,” Yang said. socialization is a crucial element, even more so

“When I’m going from class to class, I never really have to time to stop and chat with a friend because my classes are so spread apart.” Freshman Vanessa Holloway

“I personally don't like block because I have to wait so long to see and talk to my friends who I might have an A class with, but not a B class with.” Freshman Gabriella Graham

“Since, I am a bridge student... I feel that since my schedule is different, I don’t socialize as much as I used to.” Senior Michael Reisinger