Last year, it would be hard to find a student who wanted classes to be even longer than they already were; actually, it would be hard to find a student who wanted classes at all. Nevertheless, the dreaded by some, or anticipated by others, hour-and-a-half classes are here, and well… it’s not so bad after all.

Sure, falling asleep in class might become even more of an epidemic, and you may be hit with that “how is there still 30 minutes left?!” feeling after an hour of class, but with the right perspective and a hint of initiative (which is hard to find), students may actually learn more effectively. With more class time and deeper discussions, students’ knowledge should deepen as well, but only on the student’s accord.

Last year, with six classes a day, we would be dragged into our next class before we could even begin to care about the first one; with six classes on our minds, it’s hard to focus on the subject in front of us, especially with our ADHD-ridden brains. This modified block schedule will invite the student to actually care about and dive into the content, with less on their mind, and less subjects to study for every night. Whether the student wants to accept that invitation is up to them.

Many overlook who else is affected by the schedule change (god knows these kids wouldn’t dare think about someone else): the teachers. Us students have to learn how to absorb the knowledge in more dense loads, but these teachers actually have to make that content. Whole lesson plans they’ve been using for years will have to be scrapped in order to keep our attention for 85 minutes, but that’s simply transitional. In the long run, if it is a more effective form of teaching, it’s worth it. Still, I can’t help but worry for Mr. Riggs, who has been teaching for 50 minutes at a time for over 60 years now, and everyone knows old dogs can’t learn new tricks.

There’s not much evidence behind any of these claims; school has merely begun and teachers are probably still learning how to teach us more effectively, just as we are learning to learn more effectively. In the end, it’s all about your perspective on the situation, if you believe that you will learn through this new schedule, you will, and if you don’t, you won’t. Whatever the case, complaining isn’t going to do you any good, and we’ve all heard enough of that. With no effort, school is bound to be boring and useless, so it’s really up to you. Life is naturally dark, you provide the light; all of the words the teachers say to you are meaningless until you decide to listen.

If you have a strong opinion on the new modified block schedule, share your thoughts on Twitter using #ALVoices.