Every year before the start of the school year, I tell myself that I will be an academic weapon. And then, I receive my schedule during Falcon Fest … cue the dramatic music. And I realize my classes are at all the wrong times.
Because journalism and orchestra are two electives that are offered in limited periods, I currently have two of my three electives on a Blue Day. As a result, I end up having really long and exhausting Red Days followed by easier Blue Days where I can more easily schedule things like “doctor appointments” the entire morning. I really dislike having all my easy classes grouped together and the harder classes all dumped on the other day.
Another issue is that for the second year in a row, I have math as my 7th period. It’s the worst when you’re struggling to stay awake on a Red Day Friday around 3:15 and trying to understand derivatives. Additionally, when finals roll around, it means I have to study until the very last minute because it’s usually my last final.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but dream of an ideal schedule. I’m more of a “get difficult things done first” than “mix it up during the day” type person, so I’d prefer having my core classes in the morning and electives in the afternoon.
I would like to keep English as my 1st period. Nothing beats talking about “Hamlet” first thing in the morning and watching my peers recite Shakespeare with their hoarse morning voice and act out the ghost by putting a bed sheet over their head.
Journalism for 3rd period means you get to sit in the corner of shame to do a quick write of your story or you have time to work on the homework that you forgot was due for another class. This is a great transition into lunch, and after that six-week grading period is over (and no more opinion editors saying “get your bloody stories in,”) it’s practically like you have this class and lunch — double the amount of time — to relax.
Science, which is AP Environmental Science for me, only feels right if it’s my 5th period, and I’m sure most people would agree with this. For all science classes I have had, the lectures are usually interesting enough and the labs are engaging to keep me awake. After lunch is the perfect time to contemplate why things are the way they are and why people still debate if climate change is real.
Math would be great if it was my 2nd period since I’m still awake (most of the time). I can get tests done early without worrying about it for the rest of the day. All the information you crammed during breakfast is more likely to stick because it’s still fresh in your mind.
Fourth period would be perfect for social sciences. While I feel that there is never a right time in the day for a Long Essay Question (LEQ) practice in APUSH, having it before noon means you don’t have to cram a 30-minute Heimler’s History video during lunch.
With all those classes planned, it would leave me with electives like Spanish or orchestra to end both days. This way, I don’t have to worry too much about tests or finishing assignments during lunch. Additionally, imagine it’s the last day of finals and all you have to do is have free time with your friends and one last goodbye to your teacher to wrap up the semester.
This ideal schedule will ensure I’ll have sufficient energy getting through my week and a nice balance between my easy and hard classes between Red and Blue Days, which means no more having to scramble to finish all my Red Day assignments the night before. Now, I am 100% certain that if I receive such a class schedule next year, I will become the greatest academic weapon like nobody has seen before.
