The Problem with Traditional School Days
Adults' work days don’t have 7 or 8 bell-driven 50-minute chunks of time unrelated to one another, so why do we make kids do school that way?
The typical high school schedule is ‘content-centered’ — designed around lecturing, the most efficient method for delivering ‘content’ but also the least effective way to learn.
A content-centered schedule often results in:
- A hurried, frenetic day
- Shallow study
- Unnecessary stress
- Busy work
- Lost time (transitions time and attention residue)
- More homework
A Schedule Built for Focus (Quality Over Quantity)
Adults' work days don’t have 7 or 8 bell-driven 50-minute chunks of time unrelated to one another, so why do we make kids do school that way?
Our schedule follows the best research for a ‘learning-centered’ schedule: Instead of studying 6-7 subjects spread out over the course of an entire school year, students study only two subjects in a single trimester. They earn the same number of credits each year, but learn more.
The Waterloo school day begins at 9 a.m., Monday through Friday. Monday through Thursday, students study one subject before lunch and another subject after, with the school day ending at 3 p.m.
This learner-centered schedule results in:
- Slower, deeper study,
- Focused, engaged learning
- Purposeful work
- 20% more real learning time
How Fridays Work
Fridays at Waterloo look a little bit different.
The traditional content-based schedule doesn’t provide the time we need for growth, production, and learning. It's no secret that many teens and families find their after-school hours crammed with homework and extracurriculars.
We all benefit from a break from routine. That's why Fridays at Waterloo our reserved for:
- Advisory
- Academic tutoring
- Student life activities
- Developing skills and making progress in service and school projects
- Pre-approved educational, internship, or extracurricular activities off-campus
It's no secret: you can't plan for everything! Fridays are a valuable time for students to practice time management as they develop the personal qualities found in our Portrait of a Graduate.