Arriving at Falcon Cove, FC in the fall of 2018, block-scheduling was relatively new to The Cove. Block-scheduling is a school schedule that allows students to have eight periods. Using yellow and blue days, students attend four classes each day. After two years of utilizing block schedule, Falcon Cove teachers voted to keep block schedule as the permanent Falcon Cove schedule.

With four elective block periods, more electives were needed. This meant that new teachers came to the Cove, and others were given different subjects to teach. Study hall, home economics, and Mandarin were three of the new electives added to students’ schedules. Since there are now only four class periods in one day, each class is 85 minutes, versus the 55 minutes in the prior schedule.

Mr. Matthew Obenreder, an 8th-grade science teacher believes that students should have a voice in the decision about whether or not to keep block. Obenreder interviewed his 8th graders, who have been students since 6th-grade. “Of the 138 students I surveyed, the results were 116 preferred/liked the block schedule, while 22 preferred/liked the old sixth-period schedule. Percentage-wise, that’s 84% of my students for block, 16% against it.”

Mrs. Margarete Hernandez, 6th-grade language arts teacher says, “The reason they enjoy it way more is that most of them finally get homework done on time. They do not forget their learning content simply because there is an extra day in between. The homework makes up for the learning process.” 

Block schedule is here to stay. From six to eight classes, block-schedule has significantly changed for the way students go about their day.