To increase the number of in-person learning days the district decided to let all middle school and high school students go to school every other day, checking into classes via Zoom on their off day, starting Nov. 9. This model will stay in place until Nov. 30 due to the board’s recent decision to go fully remote.

Sophomore Alyssa Deirking shares the downsides of the new schedule as a remote student. 

“The schedule change was a little annoying because I don’t have any more free days where I can just do work. Now I have to check in to every class every day,” Deirking said. “I feel like I have less time to do my work. I also can’t go places on my online days anymore and I have a lot more work to do now.” 

Deirking also shared some positives and how she has had to adjust. 

“Overall it’s been easy to adjust to. I’ve had to set alarms 10 minutes before each class to give myself time to prepare. I feel like the teachers keep us on to tell us announcements which is nice because I’m really bad at checking my emails,” Deirking said. 

The new schedule has forced teachers to make adjustments to their lesson plans and how they run their classroom with both students in the classroom and students through zoom. 

English teacher Sara Sedgwick shares what she misses about the old schedule. 

“It is taking a while to get used to teaching two blue or two silver days in a row. I am also missing having my room to myself on Wednesdays where I could get some organizing done in between classes.

She also shares some of the struggles she has faced while adjusting. 

“I have struggled with figuring out how to set up my modules since we don’t have C Days to serve as a starting point. I have changed how I set up my modules. I find that I’m giving less work that is truly “on your own” for my classes.”

Sedgwick explains how she assigns lessons to help her students keep track of their work. 

 Now it is mostly homework based on what we do in class when students are here, so my students at the end of the rotation may not have any English work to do until after they see me on the second silver day.  I have adjusted due dates so that all students get the same amount of time to do the work I assign,” Sedgwick says. 

She goes on to share her favorite and least favorite things about the new schedule. 

“It hasn’t been that much of an issue, but I guess if I have to pick a least favorite part of the schedule, I would have to say remembering to start the Zoom meeting before each block would be my least favorite part. It is also hard to really get started on helping my in-person students sometimes because I have to keep checking the Zoom meeting if I am waiting for one more student to check in. I also know that many students did not like the C Days, and I like that for some students this may help them get in more of a routine as far as doing work when they are at home,” Sedgwick says

Freshman Brittany Knickerbocker shares how the new schedule has affected her. 

“I like the old schedule better because it was easier to understand and I knew for sure which days I had school. I also can’t go places on my online days anymore and I have a lot more work to do. I do like getting to talk to my teachers more and ask more questions if I’m confused,” said Knickerbocker. 

Hopefully, students are able to adjust quickly and stay healthy with these changes, especially with the upcoming holiday season.