Many students complain about their school schedules being “bad”. This could be due to the teachers they received or to a lunch period without their friends. However, students often dislike their schedules because their classes are too far apart.
According to a survey conducted by 20 students at Fallon Middle School, 95% of respondents believed their classes were too far apart. The actual distance might not be too far, but with an 8-pound backpack, hundreds of kids in your way, and only four minutes to make it to the next class, it can feel like classrooms are much farther than they actually are.
Some schedules require students to walk across campus multiple times a day, even when they might not need to. With a tiny change to the system that makes a student’s schedules, it would be much easier for students to arrive at class on time.
So why aren’t classes put in this more manageable order? According to Ms. Buckley, one of the counselors at Fallon, “That’s the computer. It would be impossible to say, ‘Don’t put P.E and math next to each other, right? With 1600+ students, there’s just no way we can make that happen.”
The computer uses a master schedule system that randomly assigns students to specific classes. Then, Ms. Buckley, Ms. Wasson, Ms. Pulimi, and Principal Baligaya make slight adjustments to the schedules to accommodate the students at Fallon. Only a few students’ schedules are completely handmade, and those students are required to attend certain classes. The entire scheduling process takes approximately 5 months, spanning from March to August.
It would be impossible to create a flawless schedule for every Fallon student. Our staff works extremely hard to provide our students with the best possible schedule, even if it means some students have classes far apart. Even so, some benefits of having classes far apart could include increased physical activity and greater discipline to avoid multiple tardies.
The student scheduling system cannot be improved at this time. Despite the number of students who are disappointed with their schedules, they are made as close to ideal as possible. Although there may not be enough time to use the bathroom between classes, Ms. Buckley and the rest of the staff invested over five months of hard work in creating these schedules, so it is up to the students to focus on the positives.
