Block days are a relatively new thing to high school students. They are twice a week, changing the schedule from being eight periods that are forty minutes to four periods that are eighty minutes. Sometimes some teachers will give their students a break halfway through, but usually no longer than five minutes. The average range of attention span in teenagers is in between thirty to fifty minutes. These classes well exceed their attention. The purpose of block days are to help students learn more with more time, but instead students end up learning less. In fact if they tune out halfway through then they are just missing out on material that is important for the class.

The simple solution to these issues is getting rid of block days in general. The normal eight period days would be everyday and not just Monday, Thursdays, and Fridays. This will give teachers a chance to see their students everyday if they need help and they are still seeing them the same amount of time. This might not be able to be carried out immediately because teachers plan around block days and they would need time to adjust. But either way, it would be a simple fix.

Although a few things may need to be changed. For example, Dawgtime may no longer be offered or the later start times, but the benefits outweigh these costs. Because you are seeing your teacher everyday, you can talk to them during class if you have a question. And if you need to meet with them one on one there are study halls and lunch time.

Block days in theory could be very helpful, but they are not realistic for the teenagers focus and mind. Despite the extra time to sleep in, students are still unable to pay attention after that fifty minute mark. After that many will become unfocused and the material they are learning will not be understood.