Students go to school five days a week and nine out of the twelve months of the year. It’s not always easy to be motivated to attend everyday with the endless homework and testing. At Plymouth South High School, the majority of kids (not including tech) have 3 elective classes a term. Their electives provide a nice break for students, a time to reset. But, what happens when you are scheduled to have all your “break” classes in one day (either A or B day, for example)? Many kids schedules have all electives on the same day and doing that creates a very unbalanced and restricted schedule for students.
Personally, for me term one I have gym, health, and journalism for my electives and they’re all on the same day. Therefore, the next day I have all my core classes: English, chemistry, Spanish, and history.
This gives my schedule no balance, it’s hard to focus and retain so much information each day. I have four tests a day sometimes. This is stressful and much harder studying for four tests the next day, rather than two if my schedule had some balance. In my opinion, this type of schedule isn’t best for most students. Doing this may give some students an advantage over others. Some kids have all core classes in one day while some have an equal amount of core classes and electives, a balanced schedule. The stress levels between the two schedules are drastically different.
Some kids are staying up all night to make time to study for four tests while others study for just two in one night and then two the next night because they have a balanced schedule. How is this fair? Is everyone actually getting the best education possible here at Plymouth South?
Therefore, if Plymouth South wants to ensure the best education for its students, we could let students have some input on the amount of electives and core classes they have in one day. This way, students can have a say in their day to day schedule. Students know their learning habits better than anyone else. Giving students a say may improve grades as well as their mental health and well being. Students should be encouraged to meet more frequently with their guidance counselors and tell them the best way to schedule them for the benefit of their education. Although guidance counselors may not be able to meet every suggestion given by their students, some being met is better than none. Plymouth South High School needs to give students more of a voice in their scheduling for the good of the school–and for students.