At Pascack Hills, there is a common debate over which schedule day is superior: an all-eight class period Monday or Tuesday-Friday rotation schedule.  On a Monday schedule, each period is about 42 minutes long, whereas, during the rest of the week, each class meets for about 57 minutes with two classes dropped. 

Some may argue that rotation days feel shorter because there are fewer classes to attend, but I disagree. Though there might be more classes on a Monday schedule, each one is shorter. It allows students to switch gears on the subject they are learning about more often. Monday doesn’t feel like you are stuck learning about one subject for too long and it gives students a chance to get up and stretch their legs. 

Additionally, most teachers don’t assign heavy work on Mondays since there is less time to complete it. It allows the day to pass quickly since there are usually fewer quizzes and tests due to how short each class is.

A Google Form was sent out to all students, teachers, and staff regarding this debate. Everyone was asked for their grade/role, preferred schedule, and reasoning behind their selection. 

Although it appears at first glance that the majority of people prefer a rotation schedule, that is not necessarily the case. According to the chart, 47.5 percent of students prefer rotation days and 40.9% of students prefer Mondays; the rest said it didn’t matter. Though technically more students prefer a rotation schedule, neither group shows to be superior enough to push to be majority (over 50%). 

The teachers pushed rotation days to the majority. Every single teacher said that rotation days were superior. The most common reason is that there is more class time to accomplish work. 

Chemistry teacher James Soltmann explained why he prefers to teach his class with larger blocks of time despite not seeing all classes every day.

“For me, teaching science is easier in the larger blocks of time. I have more time to teach concepts and follow up with sample problems/questions to test students understanding before they leave.  It is also more conducive to lab work,” he said. 

While the argument is commonly made that rotation days are faster because there are fewer classes, I still disagree. The short and sweet periods of a Monday make them feel less of a burden.