Starting this past school year, Choate Rosemary Hall has made several changes to the daily schedule. Along with the establishment of longer blocks, the Choate administration has also added weeks with special schedules. Whenever a school week is cut short because of long weekends, service days, vacations, and other days, Choate has made it a priority to create a special agenda for that shortened week, which has both positive and negative effects on certain aspects of Choate life.
One of the more beneficial features of the special schedule for both students and teachers is that they ensure every class meets an equal number of times throughout the term. This goes a long way in helping teachers make sure that one of their classes does not fall behind or forge ahead of their other sections. Special schedules have also helped many Choate students by lessening their stress and overall workload. By having fewer classes overall in a week, Choate students are able to get their work done in a timelier manner.
Even though special schedules at Choate benefit students and teachers in terms of time utilization, they also have negative impacts. During the fall term, out of a total 11 weeks of classes, there were four weeks of special schedules. This may not seem to be too significant; however, three of the four weeks of special schedules were consecutive. During the winter term, which is more broken up than the fall and spring terms because of winter break and long weekends, there are five weeks of special schedules out of a total 12 weeks of classes. To a certain extent, special schedules are becoming what some may consider normal schedules.
In many cases, Choate students’ schedules are made more difficult and stressful by the seemingly interminable implementation of special schedules. Having altered schedules can be very disruptive for many classes, forcing teachers to adapt their class plans to fit these schedules. Classes that are mostly learned from repetition and practice, such as mathematics and languages, suffer the most from inconsistencies in the weekly class schedules.
Furthermore, special schedules often include more class blocks in a given school day. This results in more work for teachers and students, meaning less time for students and teachers to prepare for their next upcoming class. The attention and effort that the Choate administration has put into improving scheduling — and thus the lives of Choate students and teacher — is noteworthy. Nevertheless, the Choate administration should also use this year’s new scheduling methods as an opportunity to receive feedback from students and teachers. By doing this, they can better understand what works and what needs improvements, therefore benefitting the Choate community.
