If you’ve been listening in the hallways this year, you may have heard a lot of students saying “75 minute classes are way too long,” or, “Can we just get rid of Wednesday?” or even, “I like my advisory, but I can’t stand another half-hour with them!”

Although a schedule change has been in the works for several years, the current schedule we are living with was not the intended model for the 2020-21 school year. “This schedule was created over the summer in response to the remote learning schedule from last spring,” said Ms. Weinheimer. “There was a high chance we would be remote in the fall.”

Wednesdays are the Worst

From a survey on satisfaction with the schedule given this fall, students said the greatest advantage of the schedule was that having fewer classes per day meant a lighter homework load each night. The average satisfaction level with homework on the night before block classes was 7.01 out of 10.

On Tuesday nights however, students have much more homework before the Wednesday class schedule, and the average satisfaction level dropped to a 5.23. Wednesdays were intended to function as an asynchronous day in the online learning schedule, as many students and teachers found five consecutive days of synchronous class to be difficult last spring. Wednesday would be a chance to slow down and get caught up on work in the middle of the week.

Students Design their Own Schedule

Dr. Hecker’s advisory created their own model for a schedule. “We had a lot of discussions about what was wrong with the schedule,” said Dr. Hecker. “We said, ‘We’re not just going to complain. We’re going to put thoughts on paper and we’re going to come up with a solution.’”

“We felt like we could create a schedule that was more efficient,” said Nora Brant ’21. Under their model, classes would run for 60 minutes instead of 75. In conversations with students, many have mentioned that the last 15 minutes of any class are the most unproductive and they find themselves “zoning out.” “Our class time would be more efficient, so we wouldn’t need as much homework” said Cherry Yu ’22. And with 5 minutes between classes instead of 10 or 15, the day would be over by 3:00 PM. Irene Wang ’22 mentioned that shortening the time between classes “could help contain the traffic in the commons.”

Additionally, their schedule would cut down on the time spent in advisory each day. “Everybody’s in the building by 8:30, so why can’t we start class at 8:30?” said Sophie O’Brien, ’21.

The group showed their proposal to Ms. Weinheimer who shared it with the department chairs in their discussions about the schedule. “The points and the values of what they created made a lot of sense,” she said. “As students living the schedule, we value their opinions.”

What Happened to the Library?

Perhaps the most notable change for in-person students this year has been the disappearance of free bells and unstructured time, a privilege unique to CCD. Spaces such as the library and the theater have been converted into silent study halls, perhaps at some loss to their intended purpose. Librarian Mr. Tracey-Miller said the biggest challenge this year is “how the library feels. Things are more controlled, and that’s taken [the library] away as a collaboration space and as a student social space, both of which are important functions of a school library.”

Additionally, the structure of study halls does not work for all students. While some students noted on the survey that 75 minute study halls were helpful because they could start an assignment knowing they had time to finish it, others found it difficult to stay focused. “It’s like different learning styles in a classroom,” said Mr. Tracey-Miller. “It’s great for some, but not all students are going to work that way.”

One positive outcome of the new schedule is the assurance of quiet spaces to study. Our wall-less library was previously known as one of the loudest spaces in the school, second only to the commons. In a post-COVID world, it’s unclear if the library will revert back to being a social space or continue to operate as a silent study area. Mr. Tracey-Miller hopes for a “hybrid setup” where students can “collaborate without being shushed.”

As the year progresses, the schedule may continue to evolve. Just this week, we have seen the how the schedule transitions from in-person learning to remote learning. In your experience, what went well? What could be improved upon?