On any given day, you can find sophomore Jordan Wicks in the corner of the upper Commons next to the windows. Wicks is not peering out, daydreaming; he is using his off blocks to study, “they’re useful in catching up on some work.”
Off-blocks are one of the most important decisions a student makes when deciding their schedules each year. Some choose to be off with friends, some choose to study and make sure they aren’t distracted by friends. Teachers and students care about their time during off-blocks. We wanted to dive into this topic to help identify ways to improve and create more effective blocks for both students and teachers.
Are off blocks actually important?
Off blocks can be used for a lot of things. Off blocks are very important to high schoolers here at EHS, as they allow students to complete missing work and take a break from classes, thereby reducing stress. “That off block is cool and useful for catching up on some work and everything,” Jordan Wicks said. We asked him how many times he has used his off blocks for work, “quite a bit, I’ve used it like I would say most of the time to catch up on stuff I miss.”
“I usually like to use my off block to regulate and draw whenever I want, and I also like to just chill,” sophomore Victoria Matous said, “off blocks are important because they give you a break from learning, and it helps you relax your mind from everything that you already did in past classes.”
Principal Nate Smith believes off-block benefit students, “So I think off blocks here at the high school are good for our students, obviously, our ninth graders don’t get off blocks. However, as students progress through high school, if they’re on track to graduate and have completed their required coursework, and they choose to take on extracurricular activities, I think that’s fine. I don’t have any concerns with that. I just encourage students to work with their counselors and get all the classes that they need to prepare them for whatever futures they choose for themselves.”
Some believe it can be changed
Although many people agree it’s good, some believe the system can be improved in many ways, “I think it has the potential to be a good idea if kids actually used it to catch up on their homework and have some time to chill out and do that,” 9th-grade math teacher Jess McMurrey said, “But I don’t think it’s used often as it should be.”
What would he change to make it better? “Have a classroom and call it a study hall where students can go, where a teacher would be there and make sure that they’re working on homework and helping themselves.”
