Students Adjust To The New Schedule

As of Monday, the 9th of November Chagrin Falls Middle School and High School started a new schedule. This schedule change made lunch longer to allow more travel time for hybrid students and time for them to eat. Geauga and Cuyahoga hybrid students will now not only be going into school for just mornings or just afternoons; now there is a mix. Classes are now 80 minutes instead of 90 in order to make space for the additional lunch. Fridays are all virtual, so every student, no matter the county they live in, will have the opportunity to check in with teachers during virtual office hours. The change in weekly layout was made in order to help the EXCEL TECC students in high school. 

The new schedule has been met with both positive and negative feedback. Students in Geauga County are not extremely excited about having to get up earlier on Wednesdays and Thursdays for morning school. 

On the other hand, they are happier about having a longer amount of time to eat. In the old schedule, these students always came to school in the afternoon and had to eat quickly before getting on the bus or being driven in by parents around 11:15 am. 

“Before (the schedule change) we had barely any time to eat which made it difficult to relax while eating. Now we have time,” said 8th-grader Claire Guddy.

Hopefully, this change has given them the time they need to eat and an opportunity to see the sunrise out the classroom windows again, a couple of days a week. Cuyahoga County students used to have to get up early every day of the week to get to school, so this new schedule allows them to get more sleep some days. The schedule also makes classes a bit shorter, which students have enjoyed. With ten minutes cut from each class, students get a bigger break from looking at computer screens and sitting down. This has been met with appreciation because after a while eyes get sore and students get antsy.

 Eire Ratcliffe, an 8th grade, student, added that “ With less screen time it’s easier for me to fall asleep and I think that other students have the same good outcome.” 

Cuyahoga learners also expressed that the longer lunch helped them have time to eat after getting off the bus without having to eat on camera during afternoon classes. When students were asked if they liked longer lunches or shorter classes better, around 83% agreed that longer lunch is the clear winner.

Teachers have said this new schedule also benefits them. They agreed that it allows them more time to eat lunch, just as the students said. 

Ms. Moore, a teacher of 7th grade Science and Physical Science at Chagrin Falls Middle School, specifically stated that the longer lunch period allowed her to eat her lunch, go for a walk, and prepare for her next class. Instead of running around and quickly eating she now has time to enjoy lunch. Ms. Moore also conveyed that the new schedule, in general, flows well and allows for more time where it was needed. While some students were happy about the shorter classes, Ms. Moore was neutral on them. She explained that it was only ten minutes less in an already long period of time, so no significant learning time was lost. 

Students from both counties are starting to adjust to this new schedule. In addition, teachers are also changing their daily habits to accommodate the change. This new schedule may have pros and cons, but students and teachers seem to think it will work out well. This will continue to be the schedule even if we proceed to full days in January.