As second term comes to an end, the thought of whether going to school five days a week for seven hours a day is actually necessary. Can we still get the full value of our education while going for less days and for less hours? Personally, I don’t think we need to for that long. COVID-19 has helped show that. It has brought a great deal of change to the educational system, and caused school schedules to be modified. Term 2 was the start to the newest schedule change. Wednesday became a distant learning day. Now, not only are school days shorter, but the week is as well. As this change was different, and something we weren’t used to, it brought a mix of feelings. The term progressed, and with it brought positive feelings towards the change.

On Tuesday, December 8th there was a District meeting held. During the meeting, the modified schedule was talked about. Many statistics were given. The stats came from surveys that were sent out about the Wednesday schedule. I’d like to talk about the student survey. 15,583 students took the survey, and 87.7% believed that having Wednesdays off has been a positive experience. Having Wednesdays off has allowed for many students to have a break in the middle of their week, which I think is a great thing for mental health. It’s a day off school where students can work on assignments from home. It is also a day to catch up. Here is a chart that shows what having Wednesdays off has allowed students to do:

*Note that there is overlap in the data

As you can see, having Wednesdays off has allowed students to do a variety of things. Ones that benefit their lives, and make for a less stressful week. Students are still able to learn without having to attend school for five days in a row. When asked how the new schedule has affected her, senior Ashten Abbott said, “I have had more time to do my homework.”

The District’s goal is to get back to five days of school a week, but for Term 3, the model schedule will continue. What are your thoughts on this? Has having Wednesday’s off benefited you? Do you think it’s necessary to have school five days a week for seven hours a day or should a permanent change be made?