If you are a sophomore or freshmen, you remember the Flexisched from middle school. In 2023, EGR middle school introduced the Flexisched and PEERS to their school. With Flexisched, students could sign up for any class they wanted and spend 25 minutes getting extra help and catching up in that class. Some classes offered study halls and work time and others offered bracelet making time, meditation, or yoga. Overall, Flexisched was a great opportunity for students to catch up on their school work, or take a break from the long day and relax. And next year, EGR’s high school is incorporating this program into their everyday schedule.
“I enjoyed using Flexisched because it gave me extra time to do homework and other fun activities,” Hannah Gerkin ‘29 says.
Some students loved Flexisched and didn’t mind the additional time to their day if it meant they had a chance to go to a certain class and learn more. Other students however, thought differently and saw this extra time as pointless.
“It was nice having extra time to do schoolwork, but sometimes it felt very unnecessary, especially when I didn’t have anything to do,” Emmari Palm ‘29 says.
When students have nothing to do and the day has already felt prolonged, Flexisched time would feel boring and dull. When this program starts next year, students will also have more work for planning out their schedule every week and figuring out which class is their top priority.
Whether students are thrilled for this extra time or not, this new program will change a lot about their everyday school lives. This program doesn’t only affect students but also teachers. Although many teachers are concerned about this new program and the extra work and accommodations, other teachers are excited to be able to connect with students more often and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Mrs. Curley had a program similar to Flexisched at her old school and she believes it is a very beneficial tool. For her old school, students would sign up for their desired class or be requested for a certain class. Most of the time, she met with absent students who had little time to make up their work and lessons during class.
“It wasn’t a lot of work for me, it just gave me more opportunities to connect with students and catch them up, especially if they’ve been absent” Mrs. Curley says.
Flexisched is a great addition to our school because it gives students the chance to catch up and get ahead on school work. For the brief time I had in middle school with the PEERS system, I really enjoyed it. Most of the time, I threw in my airpods and studied or finished all of my homework. Even though I could’ve done the same work once I got home, being in school, surrounded by my teachers and without my phone really made a difference and pushed me to work as hard as I could. Other times, I would sign up for PEERS with my friends and get to relax or even watch a movie.
I also believe Flexisched will help boost morale. When the school day feels never ending and there’s even more work to do at home, this additional time will make the work load a lot more manageable.
Flexisched’s benefits outweigh the slight inconveniences. Even if our day is a couple minutes longer, our time without distractions to finish up school work will make a huge difference.
