In my four years at UC High, I can’t remember a time when teachers felt satisfied with the amount of time allotted to each period. At UC High, each period is only 58 minutes long. Having the same six classes every day forces teachers to squeeze in large amounts of curriculum in time-pressed chunks. In an average class period, the first five or ten minutes are spent on transitions from the previous class and warm ups. This only leaves teachers with 48 minutes to teach 30 or more students important California Standards. Adopting a block schedule, with classes every other day, would solve this constant time-shortage.

Many schools in San Diego thrive on “block schedules.” These schools have an average period time of an hour and a half. Torrey Pines High School is one of these block schedule schools and has only three periods a day. The school still has a six-course semester, but students attend three classes one day and three different classes the next. When courses are spread out like this, students are allowed to focus on their individual classes. With fewer but longer periods, teachers are able to spend more time on specific, more in-depth lessons, providing more meaningful and withstanding educational instruction.

Block schedules can be found in the San Diego Unified School District as well. Crawford High doesn’t have the standard six-period day. They use a four-period schedule similar to Canyon Crest Academy. This shows that block schedules can be implemented in our district. One of UC High’s biggest goals is to compete with the “Big 5” schools. A new schedule would differentiate us from the other Big 5 schools.

Many teachers at UC High need more time for each period. This can most prominently be seen in science classes. It is nearly impossible to complete extensive labs, especially those that require mixing chemicals, reaching boiling points, and other time-consuming tasks because by the time everyone ready to start, there are only 35 or 40 minutes left in the period. In my honors chemistry class last year, lab days were stressful and rushed. If we had had an hour and a half per period, the teacher could have fully explained the lab procedure and students could have truly analyzed what they observed. This schedule would not only improve science classes but also other courses UC High offers.

Block schedule gives students more time to ask questions and understand the material. The schedule would also benefit electives, especially art classes. Since UC High has art academy called Arts Tech, Students like those in Arts Tech deserve more time to work on their complex projects. ASB, Journalism, Yearbook, and AVID would also appreciate longer periods because it would lead to better collaboration. According to the Yearbook Editor-in-Chief Lacey Hartin, if these classes had more time  in each period, it would allow for more brainstorming. “More time in each period would lead to better communication,” said Hartin. Implementing block schedule would benefit UC High greatly, because it would give teachers more time to teach California standards in their entirety.