The new weekly schedule is the third the Barstow community has experienced in as many years thanks to Covid-19. The ideal schedule varies greatly from person to person. Everyone has different needs and preferences. As the school year progresses, it will become easier to adapt and make any necessary changes to the schedule.
According to Mrs. Baldwin, coordinator for the Student Success Center, cross country coach, and track and field coach, “when it comes to this year’s scheduling, we become more confident knowing what we are doing each day, and it becomes easier to stay organized.”
An efficient schedule is critical to a school running and health. For instance, if school starts too early or ends too late, students and teachers may feel too tired to act productively during school in the morning or in the afternoon. The schedule can determine whether or not students retain information taught in class. In order to learn, students must have each class for enough time and frequently. Without an appropriate schedule, grades will slip, teachers won’t be able to teach what they’d like, and the health of both will suffer.
The main areas of conflict in the schedule exist when it comes to start and end times for school, times for lunch and passing periods, and the length and frequency of classes. While students want to start school later, teachers such as math teacher Mrs. Kramschuster believe “This year’s start time is best because upper school kids do better starting later, but getting out at 4 was too late.” Although students would prefer to start later to have more time to sleep in, in order to end school at a reasonable time, a balance needs to be found.
Unfortunately, this year the balance has been achieved through shorter passing periods and a 25 minute lunch. Students and teachers have differing opinions on the optimal time for passing periods; both students and teachers have said they believe the lunch period is not long enough, especially given the long line for hot lunch. Helton Walker, sophomore, states she enjoys “a thirty or forty five minute lunch, because it gives you extra time to get things ready before your next class.” Teachers such as Mr. Dembinski prefer a 30 minute lunch because “a 25 minute lunch is too short, but a 45 minute lunch is too long, because there is too much time for students to mess around.”
One final area of conflict with the schedule is the frequency and length of each class. Some people prefer to have 90 minute classes with a break in between. Others would rather have 40 minute classes without a break. This year, a mix of both exist, with 40 minute classes on Mondays, and 90 minute classes Tuesday-Friday. Upper School History teacher Mrs. Guldin thinks “A student should have each core class 4 times a week, so teachers can chunk material into small bites.” Although disagreement on the frequency and length of classes exists, all students and teachers interviewed agreed having a class two times a week is too few times, and three times a week is a nice compromise.
Although the optimal schedule varies in the minds of teachers and students, the Barstow community is working to adjust and make the best of the schedule. In our second year with a schedule that includes 90 minute classes and other changes, students and teachers may become used to these aspects of the schedule and want them for future schedules.
