A common routine in most high schools looks like this: 8 classes, with one break. As someone who lives this routine daily, I can say that this routine is not cutting it. Block scheduling would bring so many different advantages to school that period scheduling does not provide. 

During period scheduling, each class is only 40 minutes long. I think we can all agree this isn’t enough. By the time the students get settled, stop talking, and pay attention to their teacher, the class has already lost 10 minutes. This gives the teacher only 30 minutes to cram information into our heads, just for us to go to our next class, have more information crammed into our heads and forget everything that we learned previously. The lack of time amounts to bucket loads of homework, which after 8 classes, no one has any desire to do. 

Along with the lack of time, going to the same class everyday can become boring. Even your favorite class can become tiring after having it every single day. It’s awful having to drag yourself out of bed every day just to go to school and go through the same old routine. 

Block scheduling can eliminate these problems. With block scheduling, you have 4 classes a day, that are 90 minutes long, as well as a longer lunch period. Your first four classes are one day, then your last 4 classes are the next and they alternate each day. Having longer classes has so many advantages. 

Being in class longer means that you have more time to learn. You have more time to process the information being taught and remember it. “It’s hard to learn something in 30 minutes, then go to another class,” Jolissa Varney, a high school student said. “Block scheduling would mean that I have more time to focus in on what I’m being taught.” Even better, more instruction time means less homework and who doesn’t want that? Plus, with a fewer number of classes, it’s less time moving around giving students more time to focus. Lunchtime and breaktime would be much longer, giving us time to eat and relax from classes. 

Block scheduling means that you have a different routine every day. You know that algebra class you hate? Block scheduling means you don’t have to go there every day. You don’t dread those classes as much because you don’t have to go there the next day. Students would pay more attention in class because they aren’t bored of that class as they would be in period scheduling. A survey done by Knox County Schools revealed that schools using the block scheduling method have positive impacts on grade point average and graduation rates. 

Even teachers could benefit from block scheduling. They would have more time to teach and go into detail about a paticular subject. Often times, when a class runs out of time they fall behind. This can throw a teacher’s schedule out of whack, and everything becomes a chaotic mess. Longer classes could really come in handy for teachers.

Block scheduling isn’t all sunshine and rainbows though. Longer classes could become tiring because you aren’t moving around as much. You aren’t seeing all your teachers every day, which isn’t good for the bond between a teacher and their students.  

All the pros outweigh the cons though, so in my opinion, I think that block scheduling would be much more beneficial than period scheduling in schools.