Peddie has adopted a new schedule for the winter term. As students and teachers make the transition from in-person to online in December, they will also transition to the new routine, which includes long block switching from the third to the second period of the day, an extended activities block, and lunchtime pushed back by 15 minutes.

Since all students are online for the beginning of winter term, the administration felt that students and teachers might better reconnect through a longer activities block. 

Spanish teacher Teresa Greppi acknowledged the benefits of the new schedule for her classes. “In general, I like the new schedule, especially since it permits many of my wonderful remote students to be in class more often and not lose sleep,” said Greppi. Along with the new schedule, Greppi appreciates the benefits of being fully remote. “While I certainly miss my students and colleagues, it is easier to manage only one medium at a time.” 

For the vast majority of Peddie students, local and international alike, the new schedule has had both pros and cons. Karishma Gupta ’23 is currently with her family in New Jersey, and she seems to have mixed feelings about the change. “I like the longer activities block because it lets me catch up on any homework or [work ahead] if I have a lot that day,” says Gupta. However, her personal schedules are more compatible with a shorter activities block and longer lunch block. “Shorter lunch is hard because that’s when I have a meeting with teachers, so it gives me less time to eat.”

On the other side of the world, many international students have grown accustomed to the online format. Many students have experimented with their own timetables to accommodate the time difference. 

Bao To ’23 has entirely changed his time zone to EST as he attends the classes synchronously and sleeps from noon to 8 pm, waking up together with the local students. “I think students definitely have some adjusting to do due to the switch of the second block to long block. In addition, having a longer activities block is nice, but I personally prefer the fall term’s schedule,” To said. Although living according to EST gives him more opportunities to be involved with his classes, he does not recommend his sleep schedule. “For international students, it goes against our natural circadian rhythm.”

While international students like To have completely changed their lifestyle, others try to maintain their normal schedule as much as possible. Like many other international students, Michael Li ’23 debated whether he should attend the third block of the day. He wishes to interact with the teacher and his classmates as much as possible, but it would mean staying up later than 1:00 am. The time is even later for students in other countries who might have to stay up until 2:00 am or wake up by 5:00 am if they choose to attend the afternoon class. 

On the other hand, Li appreciates the change of moving long block to the second block of the day. “With the rearranged schedule, I am guaranteed to finish the long block before I sleep, meaning that I will miss less class time,” said Li. However, like To, he also prefers the 45-minute activities block. “[Extra time for activities] prolongs the morning class time by 15 minutes. If I decide to attend the third class, I will be sleeping at a later time.”

There is no doubt that the fully online term poses a challenge to all students and teachers. On top of that transition, Peddie also needs to adjust to the new schedule on top of that transition, which certainly comes with both benefits and disadvantages. Nonetheless, Peddie continues its efforts in adjusting and making the best out of this challenging interim.