The Sixth Block

By  AMERSON LIANG ‘28

In each Exonian’s already busy schedule, adding another class to the rotation is out of the question. For background, each student can take up to five academic classes, standardly consisting of a modern or classical language, English, math, science, and an elective in history, art, computer science, or economics. These classes make up an Exonian’s schedule, with each class meeting three to five times a week. 

Courtesy of exeter.edu

But is there still time in the week to learn and research even more about a specific topic? Frankly, the answer is no. This question is efficiently answered with arguments on homework completion, students’ willingness, and work-life balance, for which a sixth course would ultimately degrade students’ well-being. 

For students, the only time to focus on homework is after-hours, past the preps’ 8 p.m. check-in. Time to complete homework is especially scarce in the winter; many of my peers end classes at 6 p.m., walk to the dining hall, and leave by 7 p.m. That’s not even accounting for clubs. Yes, I admit there is some time to sit down and study between breaks throughout the day. Still, one must consider other extracurricular activities, sports, physical education, theater, dance, and mandatory health classes.

Due to this time-sink, students often spend their nights cramming homework for the next day, praying that they will finish their assignments by the end of the night. Adding another academic class will only exacerbate this challenge—it will become nearly impossible to complete all work. Even assuming that a student could reduce extracurriculars in favor of academic striving, only a few hours would be added to their allotted work time due to the required classes of lowerclassmen and the college applications for upperclassmen. Without homework completion, whatever is learned in class will not be firmly understood, making a sixth block damaging for the student. 

Furthermore, a successful Harkness class requires a willing teacher and even more enthusiastic students. But the question is, how many students would be open to taking another class if the class were optional and merely focused on extended knowledge of a topic? The effort of putting together a group of students to put even more time into another block will be impossible, considering the amount of work that already burdens them. If anything, students already have the option to double up on courses after completing their course requirements, proving their interest in a certain subject and really focusing on what they want to do in the future. Additionally, most teachers make it an option for passionate students to audit classes, letting them sit into discussions and become members of the class despite not being graded for their work. Adding the sixth block will become extra work for both students and faculty despite the fact that it is already a more viable and existent option. 

Finally, I want to concentrate on the work-life balance of students and how a sixth block will disturb it. Already most students have trouble finding a balance between socializing with their peers, finding time to have fun, and pursuing their passions in extracurricular and school work. Having a sixth block would stretch a student’s priorities too far, creating a stressful situation for most. Students would lose time for what they enjoy, be unable to relax away from work, and would be unable to focus on a single subject. 

The negative repercussions of adding another block outweigh the positive impacts. The extra class would not be sustainable for students as a whole, adding more to their already heavy plate of homework, adding to the rigor of student life, and losing that cherished balance between school and life outside of it. There are already other ways for students to further pursue their interests on campus. For instance, there are clubs focused on the specific interests of students in order to discuss shared interests, and auditing classes are a possibility as well. As students, we can choose what we do with our free time, and creating a sixth block with new required appointments will be redundant and extra work.