Imagine walking through the front doors of your high school on the first day of school and being informed that the school day has been shortened and that class periods have been cut back. Well, that is exactly what happened this year at Park High School. Students and teachers were informed of classes and the school day being shortened. This decision has caused many mixed feelings and emotions, for students and teachers, with many pros and cons.
This year’s new schedule has shortened class periods by three minutes, lunch lengthened by nine minutes, and the school day ending 10 minutes earlier. This caused a disturbance in academic learning for students, and prep time for teachers became shorter with less time to prepare and get ready for classes.
I personally do not agree with having a shortened day and I have been feeling the effects of this new change and have struggled with it myself. In classes I have been having a negative feeling that there has not been enough time for me to finish assignments, and I lack time to gain more knowledge. With less time in class periods I have felt more pressured and more stressed to complete work in a 51 minute class period instead of a 55 minute class period. I believe that class periods should go back to 55 minutes, with lunch being cut back in time, and the day ending later, not earlier, for the benefits of students and teachers.
Other than students feeling the effects of the new schedule, teachers are having to adjust to the new schedule as well, causing more teachers to feel rushed while teaching. A shortened period means this as well which include, teachers having less time to teach, less time in prep periods, and having to shorten lessons to end on time.
This year everyone is having to adjust and adapt to a new school/workday with less time in the day. This change was made and has caused a lot of teachers and students to have opinions and feelings with many pros and cons. Having a school day with less time has its benefits, but also has its issues that arise, with many students and teachers left not sure. Benefits of a shortened school day are, less homework, more time outside of school, less time sitting in a classroom. There is also a longer lunch so clubs can meet, and students enjoy having shortened class periods.
