Next year, the schedule for all students will change at the LTHS East Campus. Instead of the usual 7 period schedule, it will change to an 8 period schedule causing periods to shorten from 50 minutes to 45.
Illinois requires students to graduate with at least two years of a language. Administrators and board members at this school found that many students found it difficult to complete this requirement, while also taking interesting classes that they enjoy. A change this large results in many opinions—some people in full support and others who are dreading it. Despite the various opinions on the topic, could it be a positive change?
The major benefit of this change is that it will allow students to take more classes that they are interested in while still meeting requirements. While graduating students will not be affected, senior James Wyatt, student board member, shares some of his opinions. He wished he had room in his schedule to take cooking classes and claims that students should view the period change as a positive impact. He realizes that the extra class can add stress to students based on the workload, but thinks that it is an overall positive change.
An English teacher at East Campus, Mrs. Coyle agrees that this will be a positive change, and encourages students to take advantage of all the electives that Lockport offers instead of only taking AP classes and adding stress to their already tough schedule. However, she does admit that shortening each class by five minutes will cause some problems. “I am a little concerned about the shorter periods particularly for lab science classes and PE classes since students have to change into PE uniforms. As an English teacher, essay writing will be impacted and timed essays in AP Language will also be a bit of a struggle,” says Mrs. Coyle.
Some students are concerned with the stress that an additional class will bring. “I feel like my stress might increase a little bit more just because I have to tackle a whole other Advanced Placement, Dual Credit, or honors class to maintain a high GPA,” explains sophomore Claire Bazan. With this feeling, she is worried that another challenging class will increase her stress even more, especially around finals time.
With a major transformation like one, people are bound to have differing opinions. While the change may give students more elective options, more stress could also result from this. The success of this new schedule depends on the classes a student chooses to take and the motivation they have to achieve their academic goals.
