The weekly schedule at Haddonfield Memorial High School is a little different than other local high schools. On Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, we have all eight class periods, for forty three minutes each. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we have block days. Block days are days with four class periods, each one being one hour and twenty minutes long. These days offer a bit of a break during the week, as upperclassmen with open campus are able to go home during their off periods. 

When I tell people who do not attend my school about the block periods, they are usually shocked. The first question I always receive is, how do you sit in a classroom for an hour and twenty minutes? I tell them it is not that bad, and can be enjoyable. If it is a class you already like, the block periods are fun. If it is a class that is already difficult during the forty three minute periods though, it feels like years. There is one thing that makes the block days manageable, and it is the break that our teachers give us. It is a brief break, usually only five minutes in the middle of the period, but students use this time to stretch out by walking laps around the halls, or go to the cafeteria to get a snack. The periods are long, and teenagers get hungry. They also get restless. I know personally the breaks help me regain my focus. It is usually right around halfway through the long period that I can not seem to pay attention to the class. Going on a quick walk offers a brief respite so I can bring my attention back to my work in the classroom. This short break may not seem vital, but it keeps us sane.

Without that five-minute break, we are asking teenagers to sit still and focus for an hour and twenty minutes straight. It is exhausting. Of course there are safety issues in allowing students to roam the hallways, but completely getting rid of the break is not a beneficial solution. If a student causes issues during their break, that singular student should lose break privileges. Punishing all of the students is not fair to the people who just want to stretch their legs or get a snack before heading back to class.