5-day schedule,

Time for Another Change

8/27/2011 09:56:00 PM Media Center 2 Comments

by Angelo Fetalvero
(first published in the Forum, July 2011)

Illustrated by Hannah Valentino

Change seems to be the trend in the school this school year and it is happening at a blistering pace. Gone are our old blue pants and skirts with red and black now the school’s preferred colors. The old administration has also said goodbye. New authorities now wield power in our school. However, when enrollment came along, it was another change shocked that everyone. The old four day schedule bit the dust and everyone was stifled when they heard the news that Monday was again going to be a school day.

The change in schedule aims to give students more time for library work and for consultations with teachers. It also aimed evenly distribute the amount of work that students used to cram in four days. This was in response to a survey where parents and students alike were given an opportunity to voice their concerns and preferences about the old schedule.


For these reasons, the new administration introduced a modified five day schedule, effective this school year. School now starts at 8:00 am. Mondays were now devoted for electives and special subjects and breaks were inserted in between classes.

However, the schedule change seems to be ill-conceived. When one thinks about it, the new schedule is not really an improved five day schedule but a four and a half day schedule that has major flaws. The frequent breaks are not productive and students are mostly idle during those times. The workload is still not evenly distributed. Major subjects, which tend to give more requirements, are still held only from Tuesdays to Thursdays. This restricts the amount of time a student has to study and review for those subjects during the week and increases the tendency for cramming.

Mondays are also problematic. Students cannot consult with the majority of the teachers for they usually no longer come to school. Senior students are also heavily burdened on Mondays. A majority of seniors waste time and money just to go to school for one class. Come August, members of the CAT and the COCC will also have to go to school on Saturdays. That’s six days of school for them.

The current schedule is inefficient and it fails to accomplish its goals. It has to be replaced. The school could revert back to the old schedule. This was what the students favored. Even if most students were groggy and stressed from Tuesdays to Fridays, the extra day off for relaxation and schoolwork compensated for their sacrifice. Another option could be adapting the more commonly used full five day schedule. There, classes would be held everyday but major subjects, and also school requirements, would be distributed more evenly. The 8:00-3:00 schedule would also give students more time for studies and rest during the weekdays. Also, not having Mondays off can probably reduce students’ tendencies for procrastinating and cramming.

Another change is required and it is up to the school to decide on which schedule they want to impose. But for the students’ sake, dumping the four and a half day schedule should be a must.