Just four weeks into school, many students checked their Skyward and were met with a completely different schedule. This event forced students and teachers to completely change their usual routine and start over from day one.
These changes were made due to the budget report given by the district to account for the student-teacher ratio. After the necessary changes to meet the school budget were completed, The Blue and White had the opportunity to interview students and teachers about their opinions on this change and why they believed it happened.
Dr. Korkes, one of Apopka High School’s assistant principals, was able to explain why the schedule change happened: “The initial budget for each school year is based upon projected student enrollments and all planning for the year is made based upon those projections. The budget is then adjusted for the actual student enrollment typically sometime between September and October.” She also shared how she believes students will benefit from this change, “Schedule changes have allowed students, who did not have a teacher at the beginning of the year, to now have a certified teacher instead of a substitute each day. Even though change is stressful, once the students adapt to their new teacher, they will have the support they need to learn the content they might not have understood previously.”
Due to this sudden change, many students are forced to make new friends and adapt to new teaching styles. Some of these students have expressed that they no longer have fun in their new classes and feel as if they are falling behind. Shila Gillis, a junior, conveyed her thoughts, “My entire schedule changed, which affected how I go about each class and my confidence entering the class. I feel a little lost because I’m so behind everyone else now. Even though I have teachers that teach the same subjects as I had before, they teach a little differently and specifically for my APUSH class, this class goes into a lot more detail. So I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do.”
Another student, Ashley Mays, expressed her concerns as well, “The schedule changes caused a lot of frustration and stress because I was just settling into my classes with my classmates and teachers for the year. Now, I have a completely different schedule and routine, including a different lunch and four different periods with two new teachers.”
Not only were the students schedules effected, but the teachers and classroom sizes too. The budget adjustments have also resulted in conjoined and liquidated classrooms. Thus an increased number of students. This has been a concern for many teachers as they have had to adjust their schedules in order to accommodate the increasing number of students per class period. When asked how the increased number of students has affected his teaching, Mr Sensiper, a mathematics teacher, shared his opinion, “It’s made it more difficult but it’s something that I know we have to deal with as a school. I’ve been trying to include extra time in my lessons to ask students questions on understanding and making sure they have a chance to ask me questions as well. So I’ve been trying to include a bit more time and moving a bit more quickly through examples to facilitate that.” These teachers, among many others, sympathize with their students and understand how this change has affected them. Ms. Gardiner explained that “research shows students benefit from stability and routine.” She further stated, “They don’t have either with the schedule changes this year. I feel like it affects them just as much, if not more, than the teachers.”
As the school community works to adapt to these necessary changes, The Blue and White hopes that these adjustments bring positive outcomes and everyone affected adapts quickly.
