If you’ve been at Brebeuf for the past few years, you probably know the eight day schedule by heart…or at least know it pretty well by now. But this new schedule is coming at the end of January (temporarily)! The school has adapted to their routine and schedule over the years, so this schedule change might be difficult to adjust to at first. 

The study behind the reason for changing the schedule has to do with the way our brains obtain knowledge. Especially for foreign language, math, and science classes: it’s crucial that you keep repetition in your studies and practice frequently to really lock down the knowledge. 

According to Mr. VanSlambrook’s email, “teachers have shared that in this (current) structure, it is difficult to fit the curriculum we believe is necessary for our goal of college preparation, as well as for external demands such as AP content coverage.” Not having enough meetings with our classes every week has been a hindrance to our learning. This is why it is important to experiment with a new schedule to accommodate these needs as a school and promote better learning.

Interviewing an underclassman, an upperclassman, and a teacher helped get a grasp for how the school feels about this upcoming change. 

Freshman Lila Weeter ‘27 says, “It has been very easy to adjust to the five class schedule and I think it’s very beneficial for athletes because they have less time to do their homework every night as classes usually skip every other day or so—they have more flexibility to do their homework.” 

Many freshman and underclassmen have had less time to adjust to the current schedule and might be flustered by the new schedule. But, overall, they could be very open to this change, as they have plenty of time left at Brebeuf to adjust (if the schedule changes permanently).

Junior Lexi Gin ‘25 says she’s in favor of the current schedule because “with classes alternating days, students have more time to do their homework if they have busy schedules.” 

As a junior, Gin believes “having the same schedule for the past three years, I feel really comfortable knowing the schedule, and I enjoy not having the same classes everyday as everyday is different.”

The idea of 50 minute classes both slightly worries underclassmen and upperclassmen, as they claim their days will feel a whole lot faster with having more classes. Hopefully, this adjustment will ease everyone into a quicker pace without any stress or worry.

French teacher Madame Poole says, “I enjoy teaching full 60 minute classes, as it gives me plenty of time to teach and to do activities.” From a teacher’s perspective, she is a little worried about having 50 minutes everyday and if there’s enough time to fit all the necessary lessons into that class time. But, she is in favor of the new schedule’s goal to see classes more regularly throughout the week and agrees with that idea. Many teachers wish they had more meeting time with their classes during the week—and the new schedule meets those needs for all teachers.

Overall, this will be a huge adjustment for the whole school and will definitely take some time to get used to. Although it is only in action for two 8 day cycles, it will take at least 2 weeks to really get a feel for it. 

As Madame Poole says, “I’m optimistic about this new change, and I’m glad our school evaluates its issues and is always looking for ways to improve.” It’s important to keep an open mind about this new change and for everyone to take time to adjust!