Last school year, COVID-19 brought many negative changes like virtual school and hybrid learning. However, one of these changes was for the better; hybrid Fridays. Having a day off from school on Fridays was one of the most valuable decisions LM has ever made. A four day week makes sense, as it lines up with the four day letter schedule that LM already uses. It would fit perfectly so that we wouldn’t have to repeat a letter day twice in a week. Most importantly, the asynchronous day helped both the students and the staff.
Almost any student, if asked, would love to bring back hybrid Fridays, not only because it is an extra weekend day, but because it gives them a second to breathe within their busy schedule. I spent my Fridays off catching up on assignments and was able to complete all of my work for the weekend before it technically even started. Hybrid Fridays allow students to focus more on the quality of their work, rather than rushing to get it done so they could have a little bit of free time. This year especially, I know a lot of people who don’t have any free periods, including myself. Having a whole day off would make up for such a packed schedule. Fridays off are also the perfect time to ask teachers for help. Lunch and Learn is great, except for when the hour is taken up by meetings it leaves little time to actually eat lunch or do homework. Instead of this short block of time to try and get assignments done, a whole day where teachers are checking their emails to answer student’s questions is more helpful. Zoom office hours were also very convenient because students could sit in the comfort of their homes while getting the help they needed at the same time. In addition, during hybrid school, there was an option to go into school on Fridays, if students felt the need to. Overall, hybrid Fridays gave students many different choices for how to spend their time, since they were not forced to follow an exact schedule.
Not only were Hybrid Fridays beneficial for students, but for teachers as well. In a conversation with one of my teachers, I was informed that they used Fridays to plan for the week ahead, get on top of grading, and of course, help students. Teachers spend copious amounts of time planning for the week to come. The weekly plans we see on blackboard aren’t just teachers throwing work out there, but are carefully planned activities and lessons catered to the students’ needs. Think about all of the students that teachers have and the amount of papers and tests that need to be graded. I’m sure it adds up and it must be hard to grade all of it during the week, so having a day where teachers can really focus on grading would be extremely helpful. Also, similar to students, the hour of Lunch and Learn takes up most of teachers’ free time if they are helping students. Fridays would allow for more time to help students. This way, teachers can ensure that students have a better understanding of topics.
I’m not sure how the rest of our daily schedule would change if LM were to reinstate Hybrid Fridays, but the day off would make up for any schedule changes that need to be made. Overall, there are benefits of having Fridays off for both students and staff that would improve the highschool experience.