The TASC Block: Wait What?
May 23, 2017
To review our previous article, the new TASC block will be implemented next year, along with school starting one hour later. The schedule will consist of four 81 minute blocks, with a 40 minute TASC block sandwiched in between 2nd block and lunch. There have been mixed reviews about this topic, so I went around PHS and asked the community what they thought.
Most students just seem confused. A lot of the people asked didn’t know what I was talking about. The others said “it’s dumb” and “I don’t really care” too many times to count. One sophomore said: “I don’t like the change at all. It just makes things unnecessarily more complex. The TASC block seems useless to me.” Another said it was “confusing and inconvenient.” A freshman took a different stance; “I think it’s dope… getting up at 7 instead of 6 can keep us alert during block 1.” Some people are more one sided “I like the TASC block but I hate the later start.”, a few people shrugged, and a few more just said they hated it.
As it seems, the student population is confused. I went to the principal Ms. Lyons and asked her a few questions. She cleared it up. The TASC block is a block of time carved into the school’s daily lives to make up a quiz, finish homework, meet with a teacher, or learn about somewhere or something that won’t fit into the curriculum. On top of that, there could be extra club meetings, or fun optional skills to learn about. This block won’t affect how long the school day is, or how many school days we have. Our free time, however, is affected. Passing time will be cut from 10 to 7 minutes and lunch will be cut by 5. Although it will also shorten classes, studies show that the teachers will have more time for the students who are struggling. There is a higher success, staff satisfaction, and graduation rate for these schools.
According to Ms. Lyons, athletes should be happy too. This way, if you miss a quiz or test because of a sports game, you don’t have to skip lunch or stay after school to make it up. It’s a flexible block that students can control and manage. It gives students responsibility and less stress, knowing we don’t have to worry about work we missed because of a doctor’s appointment, a family emergency, a sick day, or a game.
The TASC block can go from just being a quiet space to do homework, to potential speakers, or deeper learning into topics that students can choose. The only negative is that people don’t like change. And, to quote Ms. Lyons, “with any change, it’s not going to be implemented on the first day perfectly.”
