New Schedule Takes Hold

T.C. Williams ordinarily has 1,112.50 hours of educational time built into the schedule, far longer than the required time of 990. However, despite the time already built into the schedule, T.C. has created a new one to compensate for the loss of teaching time after everyone was snow blown during the second winter break. This new schedule has changed the pacing of many classes, giving some more educational time than others, and giving them a slightly staggered feel.

            In order to create a schedule that would redistribute class time evenly to all subjects, administrators sat down with department heads and other teachers to discuss how to best recover the lost days. The current plan is interesting to say the least. The rotating 40 minute block, while giving additional time to certain classes, leaves others without extra time. “I don’t have extra time for my lunch period classes, said Hunter Hammond AP US History Teacher. “That means I’m just trying to move [faster] through the material [and] do things more efficiently”. Efficiency aside, some teachers with lunch period classes are resorting to rather drastic measures to make up time, such as working in the five minute period students use to get back from lunch. In addition to extra time for certain classes the schedule change also involves Titan Up, a combination study hall and tutoring session that was implemented to improve student grades.

            Many teachers and students alike were surprised by the use of the extra 40 minutes for Titan Up on Wednesdays, but most agree that it can be beneficial for a student’s grade. “[Titan Up] lets me spend more time focusing on problems I have with [my] work more in depth,” said Junior Renzo Garcia. “I think it’s really boosting my grade.” Even if the class that students are in is not one of the classes they are taking, they can use it as a time to catch up on other work. However some students feel that Titan Up is largely ineffective as far as increasing their GPA goes. “I have been assigned to Titan up in the library, and we don’t really do anything”, said junior Sam Levy. “I just study for other classes and wait for my next class”.

            The schedule change also places more responsibility on the student to keep up with all of the material that is being discussed. “The pace is going to be much faster and the students will have to study extra by themselves in order to keep up with the material,” said AP Biology teacher David Keener. “The AP exam is like the Olympics for students; you can’t go in unprepared.” Students can study the material that was discussed in the class before and stay after to review for the SOLs or the AP Exam if their teachers are having study sessions. Even though the schedule change is out of the students hands, they can keep up with the increased pace of their lessons in order to relieve some of the anxiety their teachers may be feeling.