As new status updates about school closing come out, teachers and staff are attempting to create a productive and structured plan for distance learning. As of Mar. 25, a new online learning schedule has been released with the potential to lower stress and provide a routine for students. 

This new schedule consists of two days, an A day and a B day. On A days, students will have periods one through four, and on B days, students will have periods five through eight. For each schedule, classes begin at 8:30 and end at 12:15. The goal of this layout is for students to have extra time in the afternoon to complete assignments and not be overwhelmed by having eight assignments due in one day.

With the current system Staples is using, many students have eight assignments due every day, which can be stressful and difficult to complete while working from home. According to the announcement made by principal Stafford Thomas on Mar. 25, Staples would like to include more interactive activities in distance learning in the future. 

This new schedule could prove to be a beneficial change as opposed to the current system teachers are using. With assignments more spaced out, students will have the opportunity to spend more time on individual daily classwork. 

At the moment, many teachers are assigning work unrelated to what they were teaching before school was shut down. Continuing with the normal curriculum at home would be more achievable if we had longer set periods to work on assignments for each class.

The new schedule is similar to the normal school schedule in that the time intervals for each period  are roughly the same length. This schedule is also beneficial because it will allow students to easily contact their teachers to conference during that class period, which will ease stress on students by assuring them that they will always be able to reach out to their teachers with any questions. 

Overall, this plan has the potential to limit stress and create a necessary structure in students lives. It would allow teachers to focus on important material for longer periods of time, and would limit confusion by allowing students to contact their teachers.