One year ago, Kaneland High School changed from the block schedule to an eight period day. With that change came many mixed feelings, both positive and negative.

Current juniors had a year of the block schedule and had to transition to the eight period, while the recently graduated seniors had three straight years of the block.  The current sophomores came into high school already being used to the eight period day.

Senior Kaley Martens was one of the students who prefered the block schedule over the current eight period day.

“Block schedule was a lot easier to finish stuff in class. You can’t do labs now. When the schedule changed, I was so frustrated because the block schedule was working out so well,” Martens said.

Even the teachers had to adjust to the change. Spanish teacher Jason Lim viewed the change as a positive thing for the foreign language department.

“I thought it was a great idea because it allowed for students to take more classes the whole year.  With a foreign language, it is more beneficial for the student to take the class and not have a break period of more than six to eight months without a foreign language,” Lim said.

Lim thought it made tasks like studying vocabulary easier because instead of 20 words a day, it changed to 10.

“The one thing that I liked about the block schedule was that you got a lot more one on one time with the students that were struggling,” Lim said.

Students have noticed that in their classes teachers do not get a lot of individual time with students during class. In a busy day, questions being asked are answered very quickly with not much explanation involved in the answer.  This can cause stressful times among the students, but communication between students and teachers will clear up things up. Instead, they offer times in which they are free such as before and after school or during lunch or STEP.

Junior Mickey Schiber gives a student’s perspective on the shorter classes.

“Whenever we have difficult topic in class, it seems as if not everyone in the class can get the help they need,” Schiber said.

With no previous experience of the block schedule, the Sophomore Class has a biased opinion on the schedule.

“I wish I was able to experience the block schedule just to see what it was like. Coming straight from the middle school to the high school was easy only because the schedule is the same,” sophomore Matthew O’Sullivan said.

On the contrary, the Junior Class knows the block schedule.

“If you had a good class that you enjoyed for block schedule, it was awesome, because you spent a lot of time in that class. But if it was a class you didn’t enjoy, you were stuck in it for the whole period. It was not pleasant in that scenario. Having the eight period day is the exact opposite; being in a good class means it goes by too fast, but being in a bad class it is much shorter,” Schiber said.

In a poll conducted with 150 people on Septemeber 28, 23 percent of them have a positive attitude towards the eight period day, while on the contrary, 35 percent had a negative view and 42 percent were neutral. About 26 percent said that their opinion on the changed has switched, but 74 percent still have the same view as they did before the change.

The students wrote down both negatives and postives about the eight periods, many of them having the same idea towards it. The most common positives were that students can earn more credits, the late start addition and the option to have a study hall. Negatives were that   students carried too many books, and that it was too hectic.

In the end, the eight period day will have a foreseeable future. A change back would be chaotic among everyone once they adjust to the eight period day.  KHS students will continue adjust to the eight period day in the future.