By Gabriel Brogan
Flex. At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, it was all anyone could talk about. Why was it implemented? Why the rotating days? Where do I have to go, and when? Why is it so short? Now, it's April. The end of the year doesn't look so far off, but Flex is still a frequent topic of conversation among students and teachers alike. Usually whenever someone even mentions the word "Flex," a chorus of groans fills the room. But was this Flex hatred present only in the classes I frequented, or is it a school wide phenomenon?
In a survey of 132 McCaskey students, 71% of students said that they "didn't like" this year's Flex schedule, and only 28% of respondents said they consistently get work done in their Flex periods. Another problem with the Flex schedule students raise is that it's not easy to navigate. Anecdotally, I've seen many students show up to the wrong Flex period, or wander around unable to discern what cycle day it is. 85% of surveyed students said the Flex schedule was "very confusing" when it was first introduced in August, and 29% are still confused by it now.
In addition to confusion and lack of productivity in Flex, attendance is notoriously abysmal. In several Flex periods, I've seen only a handful of students present, or students walking in to get marked present and then walking right out. 71% of surveyed students said they've skipped Flex at least once, and 43% say they skip flex "all the time."
While the student consensus on Flex seems decisively negative, teachers have more mixed opinions. Discussing this year's Flex schedule with teachers from both buildings, teachers' takes on Flex ranged from "A waste of time for everyone" to "a sincere effort by administration to tackle class cutting." A big complaint among teachers is that flex cuts into their time to prepare. While Flex doesn't interfere with teacher's scheduled prep period, many bemoan the loss of time during their lunch period (now taken by flex 2 out of 3 days) to lesson plan.
One teacher brought up an interesting downside of Flex that most students would never even consider. "All of the teachers in my department have been split up into different flex periods so we never get to speak to each other throughout the day…we used to have the opportunity to discuss department issues when we shared a lunch period." Unbeknownst to many, teachers are in fact, people, and do enjoy interacting with each other. Flex reduces the amount of time they get to spend together, and a significant portion of teachers reported finding flex "isolating."
Isolation may be a downside of Flex for some teachers, but others are satisfied with the system. Mr. Coonan, a C-floor resident and AP Lit/10th grade CA teacher appreciates that administration (with Flex) is "trying something new, and trying to give students and teachers time to meet and or work." Though Coonan admits that flex was stressful with the larger groups in the beginning of the year, now that things have settled down Coonan says that he "loves it." He adds that while Flex has been useful to him to catch up on work, he hasn't seen many students doing the same. Coonan estimates 80% or more of students just sit on their phones during his Flex periods.
Some love it, some hate it, but everyone, Teachers and students alike, have ideas for future Flex improvements. One student suggests that Flex "should be at the end of the day so we can catch up on all classes and not just a random time in the middle of the day." Other students request a more straightforward Flex schedule without rotating days. One survey respondent begs: "Just give me one teacher. Please." Teachers echo this sentiment, wanting to have the students they teach throughout the day in their Flex periods so they can work on familiar assignments and answer questions.
Though this year's Flex schedule has its issues, Dr. Reese assured me in an interview that change is coming soon. "Our goal is to transition to a more modernized schedule that allows for student voice and choice…the problem with a school our size is that we have to do it in stages." Reese admitted that the Flex schedule this year was a "little clunky," but administration has big plans to open up the period to be used for clubs, band, and "even athletics." Reese also assured me that a 5-day Flex schedule aligned with the school week would be coming next year. He added that "teachers will be 100% assigned to students of theirs."
Throughout our interview, Reese passionately explained his hopes for what Flex could become, and I found myself nodding along excitedly with him. "11th and 12th graders will have a lot of choice to fill Flex time…if you wanted to work with your athletic coach, you could do that, if you wanted to take an extra AP or IB lab class, you could do that, and if you wanted to take a study hall with your friends, you could do that." Dr. Reese emphasized his belief that "Students should be able to have choice in that middle part of the day, and throughout the year as well…your 1st marking period of Flex might not look like your last."
There was even some talk during our conversation of allowing responsible 11th and 12th grade students to leave campus during their Flex. "If you have good attendance, good grades, you're involved in our community, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to walk across the street to McDonalds during Flex time… especially when you can just do that at 3:01 anyway."
Though the Flex schedule this year may have seemed confusing or frustrating, the McCaskey community can look forward to change for the better in future years. The potential options for Flex are many, from clubs to McDonalds runs, and our administration wants to implement many improvements. If you're an underclassmen, start thinking about how you might use your Flex periods in the years to come…our school leaders are open to ideas that help make your schedule work better for you.
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