The 2021-2022 academic year marked Deerfield Academy’s third schedule in three years. The new schedule featured ninety-minute classes, alternating days with periods one through three on one day, and periods four through six on the following day. This schedule will be implemented again in the 2022-2023 school year.
In creating this schedule, Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs Ivory Hills expressed that health and wellness were primary factors in the decision making process, as well as the length of the classes allowing students and teachers to delve deeper into topics and classes. Dr. Hills said, “With ninety-minute courses in our curriculum, we can further support students doing what real people in that discipline do.”
Dean of Studies Lydia Hemphill, who played a critical role in devising the current schedule, said, “We needed to be pushed to change to a different schedule. Ironically, the pandemic provided us an amazing opportunity to change dramatically, with the two courses per term schedule last year, and then dial it back a little bit, and I think we have ended up with a pretty reasonable schedule this year.”
Ms. Hemphill elaborated on the uniqueness of the schedule, saying, “I like the way that classes meet either three times a week, one week and then the next week, two times a week. I like having this variety in the schedule.” She remarked that although routine is beneficial, it can be fun to diverge.
English Department Chair Christian Austin said that he enjoys the longer length as it allows for discussions of homework reading in addition to writing. He said, “It was a long time ago now, but Deerfield for a very long time had a seven-period day with 45-minute class periods. Looking back on that now, I don’t see a reason to ever go back. It was like whiplash all day, and to change gears that many times for a student I don’t think makes a lot of sense.”
Amelia Goetzke ’24, echoing the sentiments of Mr. Austin, said, “I like the new schedule because it allows me to focus on only three classes each night rather than six. I also enjoy the longer duration of classes, as more can be learned overall.”
In regards to shortcomings of the schedule, Science Teacher Jeffrey Crosby said that while he appreciated the length of classes as it allows for more in class work, the impact of less homework presents a new challenge. Dr. Crosby remarked, “I think that students have responded predictably. We asked them to do less homework and they did less homework. Additionally, we overtly said they only have to prepare for three classes a day which is a kind of tacit approval. It’s a problem, though, because you forget a pretty large percentage of what you’ve heard in class in the first 24 hours.”
On the other hand, greater time between classes can allow for more thorough preparation. History and Social Science teacher Tricia Batchelor said, “My sense from what I see in class is that because there are never nights when students have to prepare for all five classes, it’s more likely that they have engaged with our assignment in preparation for our meeting.” Although there are instances in which students may have completed the homework the day it was assigned and do not attend the class until five days later, which presents a balancing act, Ms. Batchelor said that, overall, this component of the schedule has been good.
Most faculty and students supported the decision to continue this schedule for the coming school year, as changing the schedule for the fourth time would present even more challenges than any potential shortcomings of the current one. Dr. Crosby said, “I’m a big fan of slow evolution over time.” He suggested that gradual changes to the current schedule would be more beneficial than completely changing it. Additionally, Dr. Crosby expressed that while other schedules might allow for longer and less frequent meeting times for some classes and the opposite for others, these schedules, while not impossible, can be quite complicated.
Perhaps Deerfield will change its schedule once again, but after some deliberation, the administration has decided to maintain the status quo for another year.