Two eighth graders recently met with Head of School Rachel E. Skiffer to discuss their opposition to the new 8-day schedule with the support of over 280 petition signatures from the school community. Kuba Smith and Dylan McCune launched their “Eight Day No Way!” petition over two months ago after seeing downsides in the new schedule.
“We thought that there should be a way for students to express their concerns and thoughts,” said McCune. Earlier, they met with Assistant Head of School Joel Sohn and Middle School Director Jessica Osorio. Neither of them seemed to have much power to change things, according to McCune. After emailing Ms. Skiffer, she offered to meet with them so they could further voice their concerns.
“While the administration claims to have made the schedule with student voices in mind, we do not feel that way,” said McCune.
First, they argued that the schedule disproportionately impacts part-time teachers, leaving them victims of the variability and unpredictable nature of the new schedule.
“We talked to other teachers who were part-time teachers and who were concerned that they would have to leave due to the fact that they can’t maintain a consistent work week and maintain a job outside of school,” said Smith.
However, according to Smith, Skiffer responded by saying most part-time teachers are 80% part-time teachers—they come in four out of five days a week. Still, Smith and McCune remain concerned for teachers who might have a consistent job on the fifth day.
Next, they referenced the reduced class time, given that each class only meets five times in two weeks instead of the six times. According to the petition, this would cut 30 minutes of instruction per week per class, therefore limiting learning depth. Skiffer responded by pointing out that the current schedule leads certain blocks, such as A Block to be disproportionately affected as a result of three-day weekends.
“Dylan and I, however, had made our own calculations and saw that over the course of the school year, A block only meets three times less than G block so it evens out,” said Smith. According to Smith, multiple teachers are concerned that reduced class time will significantly impact the material they are able to cover.
Their remaining arguments included increased confusion leading to missed deadlines and assignments, as well as the early lunch period causing middle school students to have to go through long stretches of the day without food.
Overall, McCune said, “Ms. Skiffer seemed disconnected from the teacher and student experience,” as the two of them discussed each of the downsides.
They ended their meeting by proposing several alternatives, including putting all non-academic periods at the end of the day to limit absences as a result of sports dismissals. They also offered the idea of creating a 10-day schedule instead, which would allow for a slight change in routine while still being somewhat predictable.
Skiffer plans to continue forward with the 8-day schedule despite the meeting. However, McCune assured, “We’re going to keep spreading the word about the downsides and collect more data.”
Skiffer appreciated the chance to meet with both Smith and McCune. “The petition reflects how engaged and invested our students are in shaping their learning experience, and I always value that level of care and advocacy,” she said.