Every day at Minnetonka High School, we adhere to our 6 period class schedule every day of the week with each class lasting approximately 55 minutes. But doesn’t it ever seem to get old? Most of us have probably experienced the occasional school day with tests in almost every class. Do you ever find yourself studying for your 5^th hour class in your 3^rd hour class? I would be lying if I said that I didn’t. I often feel that our schedule is inefficient.

Several other schools use a block schedule, in which students attend all 6 classes on Monday, but then alternate classes Tuesday through Friday. For example, the Monday schedule would be identical to our schedule now. However, on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, we might attend our 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th our classes, each lasting for approximately 80 minutes. On Wednesday’s and Friday’s we would then attend our 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th hour classes. This system has several key advantages.

How would you like to have only 3 classes of homework to do each night instead of 6? A block schedule would allow for the same amount of class time each week but we would be able to focus on a narrower variety of work each night. Most of us have probably also experienced rushing into science class to do a 60-minute lab in 30 minutes. However, with the block schedule, we would have much more time to complete labs and therefore our understanding of the class material would be much better. I personally feel that a block schedule would make my week much less stressful. No more studying for absurd amounts of time for 6 tests on a Thursday night! Also, if you are absent for one day, you can potentially only miss 3 classes and have less make-up work to complete. The time spent in class would be used much more effectively and teachers would spend less time reviewing yesterday’s lesson. Teachers could dive into deeper subject matter and spend less time glancing at the clock to see when they have to abruptly cut their lecture short. Although 80 minute classes might seem like forever, they really aren’t that bad!  I really can’t think of any downsides to a block schedule.