Getting Back Into the Rhythm

After the descheduled online school curriculum students experienced near the end of last year, followed by three months of summer, students have been having difficulty adjusting to the regular schedule and early start times of the new school year. In the spring of last year, school was suddenly converted to an online format in order to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Due to the rapid and surprising nature of this change, neither teachers nor administrators were fully prepared for the online conversion, and for this reason the concept of a regular school schedule was left behind.

Because of this new schooling arrangement, many students took advantage of the ability to complete their work for their classes at any time of the day; people could now do classwork that we would normally do at 10 AM at 10 PM. There was no real reason to stay on school schedule, so a lot of people did their school work on their own time.

Flash forward to now,6 months since any of us have been in a physical classroom, and some adjusting was definitely necessary for both e-learners and in-person learners.

Alexa Galli, 11, chose to complete her school year online, but even though she wouldn't be in a physical classroom, she still was not looking forward to having to wake up early.

“It’s pretty safe to say that after sleeping in until 11 everyday for the past few months, to suddenly having to wake up at 7:30 is something that I definitely was not happy about,” said Galli.

Despite the early morning complications, Galli is a fan of the new block scheduling, and prefers it to the regular scheduling.

“I feel like it’s a lot easier to have a 90 minute science class, compared to a 45 minute class, as before we would usually only be able to get through a set of notes, but now we are able to do a lot more in class now,” Galli said.

While many teachers have had to make changes to their courses to adapt to block scheduling, Caleb Stilwell, 10, an in-person learner, doesn't feel that any of his classes truly suffered or benefited from the new block scheduling.

“I mean, my grades haven’t increased at all, but they also haven’t decreased at all, so I think I’m sitting pretty nicely right now,” said Stilwell.

While his classes haven’t personally been affected, Stilwell understands how many other classes and students have benefitted from the extra time in class.

“I definitely know a few people that have struggled when trying to complete all of their work in class before, so I think that the new 90 minute blocks will be a big help to them, and allow their grades to get a nice boost,” Stilwell said.

Studying / Scheduling Tips

Because quarantine has been a very hefty break for students, many have fallen a bit off track. So in order to get back on schedule and stay on it, there are a few very important things to know.

We all can probably admit that we may have slept in a few extra hours in the morning during summer break, compared to normal waking hours. Because we have all slept in for over 5 months now, it can be difficult to adjust to the reintroduction of the morning school start time. However, to help you make this transition, there are a few simple things you can do before going to sleep that will have a tremendous impact on your sleeping habits and sleeping quality.

Sleeping in a quiet and comfortable environment that is suitable to you can allow you to fall asleep much easier, and even allow you to have better sleep at night. There is a huge difference in sleeping quality when sleeping in a messy, unkempt room, compared to a neat and organized room: a study conducted by New York's St. Lawrence University suggested that sleeping in a messy bedroom can contribute to a poor night's sleep, and even increased anxiety.

While this might be hard to do, it is very important to set your device down roughly 20 to 30 minutes before bed. We all love watching YouTube and TikTok right up until we pass out, but what you will love even more is waking up refreshed after a good night’s sleep. When people use their devices right before going to sleep, their bodies confuse the bright blue lights of the screen with daylight, delaying the release of sleep-inducing hormones such as melatonin. By powering down your device before going to sleep, your body knows it's time to go to rest, and you'll be able to get to sleep more effectively.

Now in terms of studying and completing homework, there are also a few important tips for you to know as well.

We have all been at the stage where we have had so many things to do all at once that it seemed absolutely overwhelming; by choosing to take things one at a time, you will not only be able to work more efficiently, but you will also be doing your mental health a favor. It is very important to know your limits, as you are a person before you are a student.

Everyone has procrastinated on something at some point in their lives, and that’s fine. What is not fine is developing a consistent procrastination habit. If you keep telling yourself that you’ll do something “soon,” you aren’t making a commitment to yourself. While you might remember to finish that one assignment at the very last minute, you are not always going to be able to. That is why it is so very important to have a steady and consistent relationship between yourself and your work.

Now that the school year is beginning to move along, it is important for all of us to be adjusting with it in the moment, rather than trying to catch up later down the line. While our six-month-long “spring break” was a much needed resting period, it is time now for us to get through this new school year with as much determination and vigor as ever.