This article is from the October issue of Breezes. Pick up a copy and start reading today!

At the onset of the school year, it feels as if the whole world operates on the same regimented, jam-packed schedule that constitutes first semester. Six precisely fifty-six minute class periods along with a thirty minute lunchtime interlude become such a monotonous routine that by second quarter, it feels as if everyone on earth is locked inside this same narrow, hurried space. On the contrary, students from other parts of the world run on a vastly different agenda.

While speaking with the German exchange students who arrived on Tuesday, September 22nd, students in the International Studies program, including myself, gained insight about how rushed our American lives are. Since the German public schools mandate ninety minute class periods, the students are given a twenty-five minute break between each of these block classes. These breaks provide time to catch up with friends or simply clear one’s head after a lengthy lecture. After shadowing several students, the Germans described our day-to-day schedules as “messy,” since we are constantly rushing from one side of the school to the other with little time to even catch our breath.

Along with the Germans a new group of Indian exchange partners arrived the day after the Germans, opening my eyes to more unique characteristics of Minnetonka. After an exhausting sixteen hour flight from Mumbai, these students travelled from their small, tight-knit IB boarding school to our public school packed with 3,000 students. My partner, Sanchit Sahni, was astonished at how differently the students acted in my Vantage class compared to his classes. He noted to me that, often, the kids in his business classes are falling asleep behind their laptops or simply not retaining the information that their teachers give them in a lecture-style format. He was amazed at how our teachers kept us engaged for the whole two hours by utilizing real world examples versus drilling us on vocabulary or theoretical concepts. This is a tactic that we have been taking for granted, being instilled in us since kindergarten.
While it can often feel as if the school year morphs into a repetitive grind from exactly 8:00am until 2:40pm, five days a week, it is important to remember that our district does a phenomenal job at encouraging flexible schedules to promote more engaged learning. In taking a step back from our central community, it’s easy to recognize the advantages we have here at Minnetonka. These include the freedom to collaborate with our teachers rather than sit through one-sided lessons, the option to take classes in a corporate environment, and the guarantee of freedom as soon as the minute hand hits 2:40.