Middle School Interest Stories Pt. 2

Most Island School students find school tiring, but of course there are a few students that love school. What this school needs is a renewed schedule. Many students agree that the school schedules should be more entertaining with a few more fun classes. We have interviewed some 8th graders and most of them said that school is very tiring. However, one said that it wasn’t tiring. “Is school tiring for you?” we asked Luna. “ Yes it is. It’s tiring because you have to remember your schedule and walk to your different classes and you have to memorize what you learn.” Maiha also said, “Yea, school is tiring. It’s just because we're learning for 8 hours of the day and interacting with the same people.”  Another 8th grader, Jaidun, agrees with Luna and Maiha when they say that school is tiring. He added,  “Having difficult classes back to back and not having enough time to work on assignments before the due date is exhausting.” We then asked Mehana and she remarked, “School is not tiring because I do not procrastinate as much as my classmates do. I try my best to get my work done as soon as possible.”  The schedule we have right now is simply tiring with the majority of students not liking it. Chiefess Middle School starts at 8:00 and ends at 2:00 on normal weekdays and on Wednesday they end at 1:15. Waimea Middle School starts at 7:50 and ends at 2:10. As you can see, most of the other middle schools have a shorter school day compared to us. Island School gets out at 3:00pm which is about an hour longer than the other middle schools. Since other schools get out earlier, most kids at Island School want to have a shorter day instead of a longer day. Some kids don’t agree because then we won't have as many off days as we do. So all of the above are the POV’s from middle school students at island school.Click Bell Schedules - Waimea Canyon Middle School to see other schools schedules. 

For the new island school schedule, my partner and I explained how we would like a schedule where school starts at 9:00 and ends around 4:25. We thought this could be good school times because it allows more time in the morning for students to get more sleep and it would also allow longer classes in the day. As a student, I believe that students should have fewer classes but longer periods in the day in order to prevent the possibility of homework. Having less homework will most likely make students feel less stressed about school and will allow them to focus more on their passions or hobbies. I also believe that having longer passing periods in between classes would be much more beneficial to students because it allows them to be able to use the restroom and fill up their water bottles. This will prevent students from having to go in the middle of class and accidentally miss out on learning information. We as a class agreed that we should have more creative classes such as culinary cooking. A class like this would be very beneficial to students who are interested in cooking or just value knowing the skill. Classes such as math should be longer, preferably two hours of class time. This would ensure that students have more time to learn and understand the subject. As a student, I believe that it is very important to have a longer study hall. Study hall should be turned into a mandatory class instead of an elective class because it allows students to work peacefully without distractions. The school schedule should remain as the voyager rotation schedule because if someone were to have the same classes every day repeatedly it could become unfun and just feel like a drag.  Click here: This link provides information on how class schedules affect students and their academic work. 

As a proposal for my Island School high school schedule, I would suggest that the school day starts at 9 am and finishes at 4:25 pm. To start the day, I would like to attend Hawaiian Olelo for an hour, as I find learning more about the Hawaiian language and culture fascinating. This would be followed by a 15-minute break for break time, where students can grab a snack before the next class. There will be a 5-8 minute passing period between each class. For my next class, I would like to attend Cooking, which I believe should be a two-hour session. I am very interested in learning how to cook new dishes and experimenting with different ingredients. Following this, I would like to attend an English class for an hour, where we could expand our vocabulary and learn to refresh our minds and recharge our energy levels. After lunch, I would like to attend Math class, which should be scheduled for two hours. This would allow us to have an hour of learning and another hour for homework, which I believe is necessary to fully understand and apply the concepts we learn in class. Finally, after completing our Math class, the school day would be done. I believe this schedule would be perfect for high school students, as it allows them to have a well-balanced day, with enough time to learn, socialize, and engage in extracurricular activities. Click here to learn more about the benefits of school starting later. Lunchtime would be scheduled for an hour, as this would give students enough time to go out and grab lunch off-campus. I believe it is important to have a break in the middle of the day. 

A lot of Island School students tend to not feel very happy with our current daily schedule. Our school’s schedule is pretty complicated and simple at the same time. We have 6 classes a day unless it’s an advisory day, and each class is about one hour long. We each have a few enrichments but we were not allowed to choose the ones that we would like to be in. In my opinion I believe that when you are able to pick what enrichments you would like to participate in, it can make your school schedule more enjoyable because if you have to participate in an unenjoyable enrichment for months then you will most likely feel stressed and disappointed. Another unenjoyable part of our schedule is our school ending at 3:00 in the afternoon everyday! Ending school at a very late time can make students feel more exhausted and tired, especially if they participate in after school activities. I would love to be able to leave school at 2:00 o'clock everyday because I always have so much homework to get done and an after school activity which is every Tuesday. I also believe that if our classes were a bit shorter it would be a little less stressful because staying in each classroom for about an hour is very long and exhausting for students. Most schools around the world only have about 5 hours of school, but at our school it is 8 hours long! In my opinion our school should only be 5 hours long because when you end late you don’t have enough time to do other things besides homework and studying. I also think that if our schedule was broken up into A and B days then it would be way more easier to understand for students. When schedules are divided into A and B days you have certain classes on A day and different classes on a B day. This makes schedules less complicated and confusing because there are no rotating classes at all. This also allows new students to be able to memorize what classes they need to go to better.  Click here to learn more interesting facts about different types of school schedules.

In the eighth grade English classes, students started to brainstorm ideas on January 22nd for a new Island School class schedule. They had the options to create a schedule for Middle school, High school, or 6-12. Students had few guidelines to their schedules, but the rest was complete freedom. Ms.Haugh made sure classes are between 55-70 minutes, and included the core classes along with the following: Enrichments, P.E, Advisory, Study Hall, Lunch, Break, and Language. All students started out with opinion-based questions and a survey that were shared with the staff team working on the schedules. Students were welcomed to work in groups, which is what Kaia and Mehana did. According to Complete Literature, they state, “Most kids have short attention spans. And with technology, they have gotten shorter instead of longer.  This may not necessarily be a great thing, but it’s still a thing.  And somehow as teachers, we must reach our students in spite of it. Short class periods help with that problem because the students aren’t stuck in a chair for extended periods of time.” Kaia and Mehana agree with this, students aren’t as focused in longer periods of time on the same subject as they are with shorter periods. Since Island School currently follows a 7-day rotation schedule for grades 6-12, we decided on a set 5-day rotation schedule for highschool. Using the “Time Tetris: Puzzling Out Your Ideal School Day” worksheet, we followed the template given to us. We made a couple minor improvements to the schedule. Including study hall being first period every morning and school ending at 2:45 p.m every Friday. But we do think that school starting at 8 a.m and ending at 3 p.m is a great time frame for school. When thinking about a schedule, you have to take into consideration the times students get their homework done, sometimes they don’t do it at all. So, having a study hall every morning gives students time to complete homework. Click here for more information on shorter class periods.

As an eighth grader in English class, I was asked to brainstorm then create a new school schedule that would fit me and other students in middle school, specifically. There were a few rules to respect while I was brainstorming, but otherwise I could choose new enrichments, or where I would put my classes. I started with a few opinion questions that were asked to me on a doc. These questions included what I would like to change in the current schedule, what were my fears about changes in it, my hopes, and my crazy ideas. Then, I completed a survey asking me more precise questions, such as “Do you like longer classes with less classes or shorter classes with more classes?” Finally, Mrs. Haugh gave me a paper where I could write down my thoughts about a new schedule with colors and different-sized boxes. It was as if I were playing a game of Tetris. My current schedule at Island School consists of a 7-day rotation. Each day, I have about 6 classes, lunch, and a break. I start at 8:00 am and I finish at 3:00pm. I do have a swim practice after school at 4pm, so finishing at 3:00pm leaves me enough time to get an acai bowl at Aloha Aina, and do some homework. Now, I would make a few changes to that. I still believe starting school at 8:00am, and finishing at 3pm is a great dynamic. Instead of having a 7-day rotation, there could be a 5-day rotation, which would be less confusing. I think having longer classes, and less classes is better. According to the article Which is Better: Shorter or Longer Classes, “Others say that longer classes allow students to have enough time to get lessons done, don’t waste as much transition time, and allow students to complete their homework with more time”. For example, I could have math only two to three times per week, however for a greater amount of time such as 1h10min. In my opinion, PE classes should be reduced to two to three times per week. Same for enrichments, such as music, art, theater, or chorus. If there was less PE and enrichments, there would be more time for more important stuff, like math or social studies. Studyhall should remain and be a possibility for every student. This period helps me get ahead with homework, which I believe is a great opportunity. Also, I truly think Studyhall should be at the end of the day because I’ve gotten all my homework for the day. I believe having a chance to create a new schedule is a great occasion to let your mind go crazy, and to let others know what you feel like learning each day at school. Click this link to learn more about why longer classes are better. 

This year is the end of a 7-year schedule cycle. Students across campus were asked to design a schedule to their liking. They were given as much creative liberty as they wanted and were encouraged to think “outside the box” given that it was realistic and contained your base classes. The base classes are math, science, English, social studies, enrichments, physical education, advisory, study hall, lunch, break, and Language (not necessary every day). Also encouraged to add new classes. Each class is supposed to be in a time frame of 55-70 minutes. Enrichments can last for 40 minutes to 70 minutes, advisory is needed at least 1-2 times a week, and a 5-minute passing is also required throughout the connecting classes. You are allowed to look at another school schedule to figure out a way to arrange the schedule. It was recommended that a rotating schedule be put into effect by the school so that students don't get bored with their schedule and can have a good mix of classes they enjoy and are needed throughout the week. When creating this schedule students had the option of working together or alone. When working together students created a schedule they could make it personalized so they could have some of their favorite classes along with classes that were needed. The option of having a rotating schedule was encouraged because Rotating Standard Periods by unlocking time shows the benefits, including but not limited to “increased attention for students, a reduction in behavior referrals in classes after lunch, Students often like the variety of different daily schedules, and student absences for illness, field trips or recurring sports participation is less impactful on a single class.” Mikaela and Olivia were asked to create a schedule they thought would work for everyone, so they created a “Blue day and Yellow day” schedule where it would rotate off of 2 days instead of a 7day schedule which can be confusing when you get back from breaks, weekends, or for new students. When asking Keifer from 8th grade what they thought on this idea they said, “I got lost on my first day of seventh grade so a two-day schedule would have helped me transition and would have been A LOT less scary!” Click here to see how this schedule would work and the additional benefits.

During English Class, 8th graders came up with new ideas for our school’s schedule because it is the end of its 7 years. We think that we should have Advisory first thing in the morning for 15 minutes instead of after the first class because students don’t have to worry about learning something first thing in the morning. We also think that all the classes should be each day so we don’t forget important things we learned. Although, we would have to shorten them. But switching electives every other day is a pretty good idea if we have more than one. We think that 7th and 8th grades should have study hall for at least an hour every day because most students have activities they do after school not giving them enough time to study or do their homework. Some students have problems or emergencies out of school that teachers aren't aware of and if you miss a few days of school it is very hard to catch up and get your grades higher. This is why study hall would be helpful to students and might help students be ahead of their homework and get better grades. The voyager rotation schedule works pretty well when you don’t have one class each day. It also does a good job of rotating the classes so you have them at different times each day. We think that school should start at 9:00 because it allows students to get more sleep. and time for homework if they didn't finish the day before, this might help students be less tired at school and be more engaged when learning. Another idea we have about the schedule is that we think students should choose what electives or enrichments they want in middle school because some students might want a career that is related to them. Such as a music career, art career, acting career, and many more. Some students may never even get the elective they want through their middle school years. Our schedule order we want is advisory in the morning, then English, then snack, then Spanish/some other world language, then physical education (P.E.), then Lunch, then Math, then social studies, then study hall, then science. Click here to learn why study hall is beneficial for a student's education.

At Island School, the 8th-grade class has been working with their English teacher, Mrs. Haugh, to reimagine the school schedule. Students like Janavi Sonrikanth claim a change needs to be made “so that students  can have a less stressful day at school.” The classes have been brainstorming ideas and one of the ideas they came up with is to have an A and B day schedule. Students would have certain classes on A days, and on B days, they would have different classes. Students would be able to start with half of their core classes in the morning, enrichment classes at around noon, and P.E. as their final class. The next day they would start with the other half of their core classes, have a different enrichment at noon, and end the day with P.E. Each class would be about an hour long, lunch would be 45 minutes, and break would be 20 minutes. Before classes begin there would be a 15-20 minute advisory, and between each class would be a 3-minute passing period. Schools on-island that use this schedule currently include, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, Kauai High School, Kapaa Middle School, and Kapaa High School.  This change would bring more variety as well as more of a balance to their curriculum. The rotations would allow an extra day to finish any missing assignments, or homework, or study for upcoming tests. This would boost the school's overall test scores and improve students’ grades.  Click here to read more about A and B block schedules.

I, Cassidy, a student at Island School, want an A and B day schedule because I want a consistent rotational schedule so it's easy to remember and it's not the same thing every day. Island school has had the same schedule for a long time and it’s time for a change. For the A day, I believe that the school day should begin with a simple class that can help people ease into the school day. The school day should end with a time to study and work in school because it’s an easy environment for students who have a rough home life and people in need of a quiet learning environment. This study hall period at the end of the day could also help students with tutoring and a time to talk about the upcoming weeks, similar to an advisory as to inform the students of the future events. This makes my A day schedule begin with English from 8-8:55, then Social Studies from 9-9:55, then a 20 min break, beginning at 10:20, science would end at 11:15 then a 45 minute lunch and recess. Then Spanish (12-12:55), Math (1:00-1:55), and ending with a study hall. On the contrary, my preferred B day schedule is the same times as my A day schedule, but with different classes. It begins with Social Studies, next English, then P.E. then lunch. For my schedule, P.E. is replacing study hall on B day, so study hall is only on A day (a time to chill and work) and then P.E. the other day for exercise. Also, Study hall would become a choice for those who need it, like an elective so instead of music and art, one could choose study hall. Back to my B day schedule, after lunch/recess, the day ends with science, Math and Spanish. This is the most ideal schedule for me and I strongly believe that it would make island school a better place to be. It is statistically proven that a study hall helps students catch up on late work and finish homework if they have extra curricular.  In conclusion, a new schedule will benefit teachers, students, and parents to make it a more suitable environment for students. Click here to learn more about the importance of study hall for a student.

We have come up with an A and B day schedule. The schedule at Island School now is a consistent 7-day rotating schedule. Although the 7-day schedule is a well-oiled system, with our new A and B-day schedules students would be even more excited to come to school. As we all have heard from other teenagers, sleep may be the most important part of a teenager's development. Teens need an average of 10 hours of sleep to grow properly. So as a couple of teenagers, we tried to incorporate sleep into our schedule design. Our A-day schedule will consist of a six-hour school day, with the first class being English starting at 9:00 and ending at 10 and with a snack break from 10-10:15. The next class period will be from 10:15-11:15 which will be followed up with a half class period in language from 11:15-11:45. The next period will be a 45 minute lunch and break from 11:45-12:30. Followed by the other 30 minutes of language from 12:30-1 and our enrichments from 1-2:00. The last class will be a study hall which gives students time to finish homework and relax, this class will be from 2-3:00.  On our B-day, we decided to start classes at 9:00 and end at 10:00, then there would be a snack break for 15 minutes. The class would begin at 10:15 and last until 11:15. Next, there would be a 30-minute long class, and lunch would begin at 11:45 and last till 12:30. Then, since the class was halved it would start after lunch and go for another 30 minutes. Lastly, you would have a study hall, and school would end at 2:00. Ending schools earlier makes transportation easier for kids who have a long commute to this school. Having a study hall at the very end of the day will make students have less homework when they finally get home. This would make students have better sleep schedules because they have less homework to do when they arrive from school. Sleep is such a critical part of a teenager’s life it needs to be incorporated into the school schedule. Click here to learn about the importance of sleep for kids.

If the schedule were to change I would want an A and B schedule. I like that the voyager schedule rotates but sometimes its hard to remember which class is first and what letter day it is. An A and B schedule would make it much easier to remember which class I have first. It will also be easy to memorize when and what classes I would have because there are only two days that switch. I also want to school to end an hour earlier like other schools on the island because it will give students more time for afterschool activities and maybe to hang out with friends from schools that end at 2:00 For day A, I want P.E. to be first from 8:00 to 8:55 a.m. Second, I want Spanish from 9:00 to 9:55 a.m. Then, a break for 20 minutes from 10:00 to 10:20 a.m. Next, I want Math to be from 10:25 a.m. to 11:20. After Math, it should be lunch from 11:25 a.m. to 12:00. Then, I want a study Hall from 12:05 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The last class of the day will be Science from 1:05 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. For day B, I want Social Studies to be first from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Second, I want English to be from 8:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. Third, advisory should be from 8:40 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. After advisory, there should be a break from 10:05 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Fifth, we should have one enrichment of our own choice, from 10:35 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. Finally, it will be lunch from 11:25 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. After lunch, there should be a study hall from 12:15 p.m. to 1:05 p.m.. For the last class of the day, it should be P.E. from 1:10 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Click here to see the my schedule proposal.

Do you ever think about how our school’s schedule could be improved? I have created a new schedule for middle and high school that displays shorter school days, shorter classes, and more time for after school activities. Using an A-B type schedule, I constructed what an alternating two day schedule would look like. Firstly from the A day, 8:00 to 8:30 would be the ideal time of arrival, but also time to eat (and possibly serve) breakfast for students, faculty, and staff. From 8:30 to 11:00 would be for a maximum of three classes (periods 1, 2, and 3) spanning about 50 minutes each and five minute passing periods. From 11:00 to 11:40 would be time for lunch and afternoon break. Next, from 11:40 to 1:00 would be on enrichment of your choice and one study hall period, each spanning over 40 minutes each. Then, from 1:00 to 3:00 are the last three classes (periods 4, 5, and 6), each spanning over 50 minutes with 5 minute passing periods. Finally, after dismissal is time for after school activities, clubs, or sports. From 3:00 to 5:05 is the time utilized, with 5 minutes after 5:00 to let remaining people left on campus leave. Moving on from the A schedule, next is the B schedule. The B schedule has the same order, except for different classes. A schedule goes in order by period number (period 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), but B schedule goes in reverse from the A schedule (period 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1). If classes were to be added for enrichments and/or language classes(which is included as a required class), they would be culinary class, wood-works class, photography, and many more for enrichments. For language classes, I would add Japanese, Chinese, German, Russian, and more, plus the already placed classes, Spanish and Olelo Hawai’i. I would make an advisory to be every Wednesday before the first period of the day. This would cause the enrichment and study hall block to be lessened by 10 minutes, each class would be 35 minutes. This schedule, I feel, is very strong and provides many options for the students or Island School. Click here to see a visual of the schedules.

I propose a 2 day rotating schedule consisting of a Day A and a Day B. On Day A, break will last 30 minutes and Lunch will last 45 minutes. Class times will range from 55 minutes to 65 minutes. A two day schedule is consistent yet allows for different days and each week will have a majority of either A days or B days, depending on the week. Students need consistency and a predictable schedule; one where they don’t have to constantly check their class schedules. This schedule will give flexibility to elementary school as well. Additionally, advisory will be only on B days. Click here for a full schedule.