By: Aleena Sanchez
With schools being shut down and schedules being a big part of what we have to follow, it makes up a big part of our everyday lives and what we can and can’t do. For the first semester, the Visalia School Districts’ schedule had been divided into two waves, an AM and PM track where each would be three hours over attending school four days a week.
Now, the second-semester students have a new schedule and there is quite a lot of controversy about it. Students have to attend school for 6 hours instead of three all virtually. There are a lot of pros and cons with having the additional three hours of school for all students. Many students have adapted to the old schedule and made their outside life work around school.
Alayla Ayala ’22 who used to have the AM session says “Some of the main things I appreciate about the new schedule is that I get to sleep in a little bit more and have more time to learn and really understand new concepts in class with having extra time in each subject.”
Ayala ’22 also says “One of my main concerns about the schedule is the break between 1st and 2nd period being over an hour and taking me out of school mode.”
Having over an hour-long break between classes is something that is a big throw off for students. The standards of needing to wake up and be in class in the morning than during break, they get sidetracked and lose track of time and are able to fall asleep or leave and run errands and then have to go back to class after that.
The break gets students out of that school mode as Ayala said and takes a toll on the day.
Janette Ochoa ’21 hasn’t had a great experience with the new schedule and says it’s messed up her outside life tremendously.
Ochoa ’21 says, “The main thing I appreciate about this new schedule is that I’m able to understand more concepts, ask more questions and get some work done while still in class.”
But, Ochoa also says “It has definitely impacted my outside life now that I have a job, I’m not able to work as many hours as I used to and it took a toll on my mental health causing me to constantly be stressed about all the things I need to get done between school and work and also making time for my family and friends.”
Mental Health has been something big that many students are struggling with before with the old schedule from not being able to keep up with school work, not having the energy to get into a class, and so much more in their personal life.
As for the pros, having more time in class to understand concepts and to be able to have more work time in school as a whole is a major upgrade for the students.
Over time, students will be adapted to this new schedule just like they had with the old schedule. Though there is lots of controversy about it now. As time goes on it’ll get easier and all things will fall into place.
Tags: clubs & lifestyles