As the 2023-24 school year begins, some changes have been implemented, one of these changes being the arrangement of the block day schedule. Instead of going to classes in a row, students are now being split up into odd and even days. Controversy about the change has risen within students, and as the DHS community begins to settle in, some begin to see the effects of the schedule change on their everyday lives.
Returning DHS sophomore, Jordan Kitchens, points out that, “On the first days of school… once you had to go to one through seven, and then go to the block days, it made everything more confusing.” Since the first day of school was a block day, students had to go to their classes out of order and figure out where they were and then when there was a full seven period day students had to find the classes again, but in order of periods one through seven.
The change means students need to be aware of what day it is, and what classes come at what time on that day, rather than just attending classes one through seven in order when the bell rings. Because of this, confusion seems to be the biggest argument against the odd and even days.
For a lot of students, it is already a struggle to sit through ninety minutes of one subject without getting a break. Now, with the added confusion resulting from the schedule change, it has made these days even more difficult. Confusion has led to a hatred, and therefore dread, of these days, causing students to be even less motivated to attend an already disliked class period. Kitchens says that, “…it makes me dislike block days a lot more…if I’m dreading a block day, it makes it harder to get motivation and be there.”
Kitchens’ opinion on the new arrangement is that it seems as though, “The teachers and people in charge of block schedules are trying to ruin students.”
As a teenager it can be hard to navigate the intricate in’s and out’s of high school life, and small subtleties like having a consistent, likable, schedule can make it just that much more bearable. When a change like this happens, no matter what intentions by educators are, it can throw off the flow of already stressed students, resulting in turbulence.
Even as the school year progresses and students settle in, the schedule continues to affect the everyday lives of many. Stress takes its toll, and confusion is just one more pound on the weight on a student’s shoulders. Within the walls of DHS, comments and controversy about the schedule continue to stir. However, despite conflicting opinions on the schedule, DHS students continue resiliently. Perhaps as the year continues and students get more used to it, they will even begin to appreciate the effects of the new block day arrangement.
