August is here and with it comes the beginning of another school year. Last year was unique; yet; testing for many students, teachers, and parents. Now we are prepping for the new school year and it is starting to look at least a little normal.
Naperville School District 203 and 204 will continue to exercise safe practices and follow CDC guidelines to ensure that our community stays safe. Last year, our schools used a four-period block schedule to help minimize the spread of Covid, but as our restrictions are loosening, District 203 and 204 now plan on returning to our original eight-period schedule for all high schools while still maintaining safe practices such as social distancing and recommending the use of masks.
The schedule change will mean more time in each class every week, but also will result in longer school days. When speaking with other seniors, there was a general consensus that the four-block schedule will be missed. Although the periods were much longer than normal, some students felt that it was easier to focus on a single subject for a longer amount of time instead of rapidly swapping between subjects. On the other hand, several of my teachers from last year have said that they are confident that the eight-period schedule and the extra time in class will improve not just grades, but the class participation and the comprehension of the material.
As a high school senior and this new school year comes around, hopefully students and teachers can take what they’ve learned from the previous year and find a compromise that will help everyone do their best.
