As seniors graduating this year, it is our job to tell how Franklin Learning Center used to be before the pandemic. We had only gotten a little more than half of our freshman year in person, but those couple months made their mark on every individual. A distinct change that has happened since freshman year is the modified schedule. In 2019, our freshman year, we left school at 2pm on Wednesdays. It was sort of an award for getting through half the week. It was something to look forward to, some of us preferred that schedule. 

Leaving at 2 allowed students to have more time to study and catch up on school work. Students were able to do things they wouldn’t normally do on the other days of the week.  

Shannen Acosta-Castillo, a senior at FLC shared her thoughts on the past experience of leaving at 2 during our freshman year. 

“Leaving at 2 on Wednesdays gave me the opportunity to rest and have more study time.” When asked about the difference in routine on the days we left at 2 rather than 3, Shannen shared, “I had more time to eat and rest. I also had more time to do homework. When I left at three, I just had to rush to get everything done.” 

Daniella Johnson, another senior, had similar feelings. 

“Well when we left school early on Wednesdays, I would go home and catch up on sleep because I didn’t really get a lot of sleep during the week because we had to be here [school] at 7:55 and I had to wake up at like 6 in the morning. A lot of students work so coming home late, having to do homework and stuff like that, we lose sleep. When we left at two, I was able to go home, do school work, and rest.”

Salimah Ford, a senior, used the extra hour after school to her advantage.

“On Wednesdays, when I left early, I would always hangout with my friends on that day, but on other days I would go straight home to do homework and stuff like that.” 

As freshmans, we were still kids, but with more responsibilities. Salimah shared, “Wednesdays were the time I actually got to enjoy my life and be a kid. Wednesdays were the happiest day of the week for me.”

Students were not the only ones affected by the schedule change.  

Mrs. ​​Erin Flynn-Klepczynski, current teacher at FLC, was asked what her thoughts on if she believed students leaving at 2 was beneficial. “Based on what I remember, my students looked forward to the 2pm dismissal for a few reasons. I know some of my students at that time would leave school and go right to work; especially the seniors I taught at that time. The early dismissal allowed for them to work extra time without having to stay late into the night. Some of my other students used the time to check in regarding missing assignments or to get clarification on something they didn’t understand in class. The rest of my students just really enjoyed having the extra hour to themselves.”

When asked about how her teaching experience has changed since the schedule change, Mrs. Erin Flynn-Klepczynski shared, “From a teacher aspect, the 2-3pm time frame, from what I remember, was used to do “BobChecks” with students, Not every Wednesday, and forgive me I can’t remember how often, but the students would report back to their advisory at 2pm and they would be given their BobCheck. All students I believe with A’s and B’s were able to leave and students who had D’s and F’s, can’t remember about C’s, had to complete a reflection on how they intended to improve their grades. All forms were to be returned signed the next day as a homework grade. From what I remember they were rather frequent so students/parents/guardians had more frequent updates about grades. In addition the 2-3pm time was also used for staff meetings, and then some of the other Wednesdays, teachers had the extra hour to use as a “prep” ie. grading, parent contact etc. I feel the extra hour gave both the teachers and the students time for discussion, check ins, tutoring, etc that are sometimes hard to complete during the school day or after 3pm since not everyone can stay late.”

Leaving at 2 was very beneficial towards students. Whether it was catching up on sleep, having more time to finish school work or even being able to see your friends, Wednesdays gave students the opportunity to use their time to their advantage. As seniors, we are the last class that experienced leaving at 2 on Wednesdays, and having that routine taken away was detrimental. Being able to have even just an extra hour to do whatever you pleased really did make many students grateful. Although it is not confirmed who took away the past schedule, bringing back leaving at 2 on Wednesdays would give current and upcoming students the ability to experience having time for themselves and choose what they do in that time.