By Parnia Mazhar
Staff Writer
A group of Calendar Committee volunteers, made up of members of Costa’s faculty, is proposing a new schedule for Friday, in which fourth and fifth period would be replaced with block periods. This new proposal should be approved because it allows for a more consistent and stress-free learning environment for both students and faculty.
The new schedule was created mainly for additional collaboration and meeting time for the academic departments. During the first block, four departments would monitor the students during office hours while another four would take part in departmental collaboration. Throughout the two hours, instead of attending class during fourth and fifth period, all students would complete school work or work with their teachers and fellow students for learning purposes only.
With this new proposal, on Friday, each period would be reduced to 35 minutes.
Throughout the blocks, students have the option of working in various staff-supervised locations. During this period, teachers can also open their classrooms to provide study sessions for their students. If students were absent earlier in the week, the blocks would also provide an opportunity for students to catch up on their missed work or take make-up tests, a beneficial development for all students to help them feel more comfortable and prepared in all of their subjects.
Under this schedule, Wednesday morning late-start days would no longer exist because department meetings would take place during the block periods. As a result, 15 hours would be added back to the yearly schedule. This could be utilized toward Friday late start days and extended passing periods.
Not only would students benefit more from this flexible time slot than from double late starts, but teachers would also have more time to complete grades and plan lessons throughout the day.
In addition, students would not have to miss valuable class time to make up tests and could meet with teachers to discuss makeup work prior to their absences.
Because of the two hours of free time, all rallies, one-day field trips, drills and assemblies would take place on Fridays. The new proposal provides a more consistent flow of teaching from Monday through Thursday due to the lack of disruptions, which will not only make teacher planning easier, but will also streamline the learning process by reducing class interruptions.
Despite the potential advantages of the proposal, some faculty members argue that the block schedule will shorten their teaching time by one hour each week. However, the benefit of receiving two additional hours each week in which students have the opportunity to get teachers’ assistance, would outweigh any significant gaps in learning created by the reduced hours of teaching.
Although some faculty members have concerns regarding this new schedule proposal, the advantages that come with it will end up helping all staff members on campus by allowing them additional time for their departmental collaboration.
Students will also be given more opportunities to complete their homework at school, rather than over the weekend, which would potentially reduce stress.
Costa should implement the new Friday schedule proposal because it will lead to a more efficient and effective school system for both students and faculty with few, if any, potential drawbacks.
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