When the time of year comes around for Woodland students to plan their schedules for their next academic school year, it can be exciting for some, but dreadful for most.
Freshmen, who have yet to have the life beaten out of them from schoolwork and a demanding schedule, are usually thrilled to take part in this process.
However, sophomores and juniors know better than to trust they will receive every class they write on their schedule request sheet.
As a senior, I can say that schedule planning has always proven to be a large ordeal and stressful undertaking. Being someone who would spend her last month of school perfecting her schedule for the next year, I understand how frustrating it can be to receive only half of the classes that you request.
I’m not the only one who had a stressful experience scheduling my senior year.
My fellow senior, Kate Minutillo, experienced a difficult complication with her schedule.
“I wanted to take AP Spanish and ECE Writing, but was forced to choose one because they took place during the same block,” Minutillo elaborates. “ECE Writing would have been more beneficial towards my future career in journalism, but I chose Spanish to continue with a foreign language.”
Vice Principal Dr. Dana Mulligan says that she spends months crafting this schedule. Mulligan works January through March in an attempt to ensure that everyone is fairly considered. Since Woodland is a small school, it is much more efficient to create the schedule manually, rather than random selection by a computer program, a process used by larger schools.
Singleton courses (courses that are only offered during one block) are the main issue in creating the schedule.
“It starts with the number of students who request singleton courses and how they could potentially conflict with required courses,” Mulligan explains.
After Mulligan creates the schedule, she creates a spreadsheet to compare students in singleton courses to students in required classes during the same block. This is done to ensure that the main required classes are taken care of first and foremost. Since most singleton courses are either optional AP courses or electives, they are more flexible than the basic required courses.
Another issue that is posed in creating the schedule is the budget and what classes will be funded or potentially cut. Situations such as a certain class losing funding or a teacher’s position being cut or lessened can also conflict with the schedule and pose many issues to the scheduling process.
Some may believe that class blocks are randomly selected or that no care is put into the schedule, but this is not nearly the case. The schedule created is tailored and manipulated in many ways, proving it to be fair for most students. As no schedule can please everyone, all students end up having their credit requirements met with the schedule and always have the option to tailor it through the guidance office later in the year.
