Every day I sit in Bulfinch Hall and struggle to stay awake for 45 minutes. I drift in and out of consciousness as my English teacher leads what I’m sure is a very interesting discussion. It’s not out of boredom or disrespect, but because I get tired around the same time every day: during my seventh period English class. As I fight the urge to fall asleep, I can’t help but wonder why English is my last class every day.
Since last spring, a group of faculty has been meeting to improve the class schedule for the 2019-2020 academic year. As a student of the class of 2021, I hope that the new schedule will change the order of the blocks between weekdays.
The new schedule should change the order of blocks on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. I, just like many other students, get tired around the same time every day and have the same class during that time. Consequently, I can never perform well in that class, despite knowing I have the potential to do so. If we at least had different classes at that time each day, no single class would constantly be compromised.
It would take time to adjust to a changing block order. However, with time, it would allow for more accurate and balanced evaluations of students’ performances in each class.
Some may question how EBI and other cascading programs would fit into the schedule. The idea is that the schedule would be the same every week; but the order of blocks on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday vary from one another. The rotating EBI schedule on Fridays should not be affected because each class would still be cancelled once every seven weeks.
I believe that the student body will benefit significantly from varying period orders. Several students, including myself, will appreciate being evaluated in their classes on a more consistent, long-term basis. I hope that the scheduling task force will consider this adjustment for the sake of student performance in current and future classes.
Ava Long is a Junior from Belmont, Mass.
