Many schools from the surrounding districts of the high school do block scheduling, including all Blue Valley Schools, Shawnee Mission and Ottawa. Our district has not yet adapted to this type of scheduling, even though I believe it would benefit most students. 

Having longer class periods gives students the opportunity to get more work done and take more time to focus. I know that for me, it takes a long time to lock in to my school work and actually get finished with my assignments. I know that many of my peers and students at school feel the same. 

On a regular eight class day, we have 50 minutes per class. Personally, I feel like five to ten of those minutes are spent getting settled and getting supplies ready, and then another five minutes at the end of class it’s difficult to focus because you are concerned about leaving class. This leaves 35 minutes to get assignments finished, but a majority of the time teachers are explaining to students what they are supposed to get done throughout the class.

 If the high school incorporated a block schedule, we would be able to get settled, receive a full explanation, and have a good chunk of time to start the assignment for that day. If the student is able to finish their assignment, they are left with extra time to work on projects for other classes. Block scheduling would open the door to students feeling less stressed and allow for more productivity.