I: Introduction

In recent months, Hampton’s gone through a lot of changes. Constructions, mask policies, new start times, been there, done that. We can handle it. November 1st, however, was a stark contrast to these other discrepancies. The school was introduced to a new blocked schedule, in which classes would be extended to give teachers more time to educate their students. On Monday and Wednesday, we saw the extension of 1st and 9th Period. On Tuesday and Thursday, the other two classes were extended to make up for the lost time, those being 2nd and 8th Period. Certainly a puzzling time for the HHS student body, I was curious as to what my fellow Talbots thought about the new schedule, as my own feelings on the matter were mixed. While beneficial in its own right, giving students more time to ask questions and understand the material, it has its downsides as well. So, I set off on my mission; find how our high school’s students feel about the blocked schedule.

II: Peer Report

A general consensus I received from the people I talked to was that the schedule proposal wasn’t taken well. Students expressed their views on the matter; while beneficial in some rights, the general view was thumbs down across the board. David Poirier ‘24 shared his sentiments with me; his feelings on the matter were mixed as well. He stated that “while the block is beneficial to some classes, for others, there’s no need for the extension.” We do gain the advantage of getting time to talk to our teachers about the matters in order to clear up confusions, which is a really good thing. People who struggle in a class like math or a language can ask the teacher for some advice, and they can work through questions to make sure the student understands the material.

There’s also a few classes, as was previously mentioned, which aren’t so beneficial for the period. Study hall, for example, that’s something I heard a lot of people complaining about. It’s hard for some people to sit still for such a long period of time. While we do get stretch breaks, which is greatly appreciated, it’s hard to sit there and stay attentive for the full extent of the period. 

Not only that, but the extended periods take away time for core classes. For example, someone with a science class 1st Period might lose time for their math class in 2nd Period. While they get that class two times the next day, they may not retain the information from their previous core class. As they may not remember what they were being taught, it may be hard for the person to understand what’s being taught the next day, thus making them lag behind. It could jeopardize their grades if they can’t catch up.

I wanted to discuss the matter with someone I was close to, as I wanted to see how the matter was affecting them, and if it varied from my own views. My brother Benjamin happens to be a junior, so I went to him. Similarly to a lot of the people I talked to, he wasn’t the largest fan of the matter. He didn’t like the fact that you just had to sit there for an hour and a half, which he did admit that he chalked it up to the classes he had. This view of the block was shared with a lot of the people I overheard discussing the topic of a block schedule. 

III: The Poll

Just to see how the student body viewed it, on November 3rd, I posted a poll on my Instagram story. The question that I posed was “Do you think the new schedule is beneficial?” with a simple “yes” or “no” response. The following day, November 4th, I checked back to see the results of my poll.

From the poll alone, it’s clear to see that a majority of the student body is not a fan of the proposed schedule. After all, just look at the results! About 81.25% of the people who responded agreed that the schedule wasn’t exactly their cup of tea. It matches up with the people I chose to talk to, as well as the conversations I overheard in class regarding the topic. It just comes to show that, perhaps, this wasn’t exactly a good idea on the school’s part.

IV: Conclusion

While it does have its own benefits, the blocked schedule doesn’t seem to be a big hit for the student body. With the loss of core classes and extensive boredom from having to sit still for so long, there can in fact be some usage of the schedule regardless. It’s just gonna take time for it to be developed.