Many people in Pascack Hills High School have their own opinions on the block schedule. Some love the fact that there are only four classes in the day, and others feel that 85-88 minutes of a class is just too long. An anonymous student from PHHS states, “I have more time to do my homework for a class, but 88 minutes is a lot to sit in a class and listen. It is hard concentrate for such a long time without a break”. Another student quotes, “The day to seems to go faster because there are only 4 periods in the day, which makes the day less stressful.” These students have found that there are a plethora of pros and cons of block scheduling. However, overall the students interviewed were pleased with how the new scheduling went.

But how do teachers feel about this? Do they have the same opinion as the students do? Ms. Rome explains that she loves the block scheduling but thinks that the blocks should be placed at the end of the week. Mr. Uhl suggested maybe one-hour block periods would be easier for students and teachers, but he still definitely likes having these extended periods. Overall, most teachers enjoy having block periods.

So is PHHS going to continue with these block periods next year? The answer is yes. After speaking with Mr. Wieland, he explains that the block period scheduling has been a huge success. He also feels that next year will be better than this year because teachers will now know how to fit their lessons into this large time slot and know how students will respond to certain teaching tactics. He also states that there is discussion that these block period days may be moved from Tuesday and Wednesday to now Wednesday and Thursday, but this is only up for discussion at the moment. As for the future of Pascack Hills, block scheduling will remain due to the success it has brought and the positive feedback students and teachers have given.