This school year came with many twists to the student schedule, but one of the most unique has been the addition of Wildcat Wednesdays.

This asynchronous learning day is one for all students and teachers to work at home without Zoom. 

“I definitely would say online learning allows me to work at my own pace. Since all my classes are through zoom, it makes my schedule lighter and for some reason, I feel like I work faster,” says Isabella Iovene

For fans of these sleep-in days, the administration confirms they will continue for the rest of the year. 

The real goal of Wednesdays has been to bring a hybrid approach to school and give the needed time to students and teachers for a variety of things. 

The reason these new Wednesdays came along is so students have a mid-week break. Giving students two days of teaching context before doing work on Wednesdays.

Along with why these days exist, some have wondered how much is too much work?

According to Assistant Principal Mrs. McCauley, “On average, our students receive a class period’s worth of asynchronous work per class.” 

Many may wonder why a teacher may not be able to answer right away it. This might be because they might be in a meeting.

Teachers use their Wednesday time for “communicating with students and families of remote and in-person learners, and they attend a variety of meetings on topics such as curriculum alignment, digital migration, teaching remotely, etc.” according to McCauley.

Teachers also use the time to reach out to students and parents.

“Having the ability to craft meaningful communications with families on Wednesday is always 1-2 hours of my time,” business teacher Mr. Robinson said.  

Wildcat Wednesdays have taken root as normal for all students and staff, however, as of now, there is no guarantee they will continue next year. 

These Flexible Instruction Days (Wildcat Wednesdays, working snow days, etc.) are even more flexible this year while our state is under pandemic “emergency” rules.

In the past, only five flexible days have been allowed per district per year. The fate of Wildcat Wednesdays will depend upon state rules next year.

Many students including sophomore Angel Ball have had a very good experience with it. 

“You get to work at your own pace on classwork and don’t have to follow a structured schedule for what class you do first, second, etc.,” Ball said.

Others like them but see their limitations.

“If I don’t fully understand what I have to do or what I’m learning , I can’t communicate well through email with the teacher,” senior Chloe Fleurie said. 

These days at home however do bring more than most would expect.

According to Robinson, having asynchronous days provides exposure to real-life skills, such as students adapting to work from home and learning good time management. 

“I feel asynchronous learning offers students an ideal glimpse into the college post-secondary pathway. The asynchronous days introduce students to the expectation that sometimes you will be required to learn new material on your own, given appropriate guidance.”

Robinson also said students will need to properly manage time to accomplish given tasks at the college level and that prioritizing is key.

“The opportunity to schedule work and learning exists, but learning should take priority using appropriate time management techniques,” Robinson said.

As for teachers, they like it as well.

Math teacher Mrs. Hains is glad for the break mid-week and the time she can take for working with struggling students one-on-one.

Chemistry teacher Mrs. Glatfelter also finds positives.

“The positive part for me has been time to collaborate with my colleagues,” Glafelter said.

Along with other teachers commenting on the extra free classroom time. Mis. Gladfelter enjoys the extra time to setting up labs and putting them away. 

All in all these days provide a good break for both students and teachers. In most words from others, these days should be continued in the following year and or years.

Maybe the new school year has brought a lot of change but it’s safe to file this change under a good one.