Over the last two years, Bonneville Joint School districts have started implementing special Monday schedules. There has been some controversy over these schedules leading to the question: Should Mandatory Mondays be a thing?

Well first let’s discuss what the current Monday schedule looks like. Starting last year Mondays stopped being a regular school day; however, students were invited to come to get help on Mondays. This year the district decided school would be mandatory on a shortened schedule the first three Mondays of every trimester, and after that students would be expected to attend unless excused by their teacher.

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on the schedule. After surveying many Thunder Ridge Students, most say one of two things. “The Monday schedule is really nice as I can get help if I need it, but otherwise I get a three-day weekend,” or “It’s stupid. Only some students have to be here, and if I don’t come it counts as an absence. There isn’t even enough time to get help or get caught up.” There is one thing all students agree on though; the majority think the starting trimester Mondays seem like a waste of time.

Teachers have different opinions than many students. Thunder Ridge math teacher, Mr. Buhler says “I think the Monday schedule is the best thing that came out of the pandemic. It allows students to have the time they need to get help and catch up in class. It also gives teachers the time to get their work done and not have to spend as much time outside of school hours to do our jobs.” 

But even Mr. Buhler thinks it needs to change some, “The first is that we need to change the perception that Mondays are a day to work a part-time job or just to stay at home. My second change would be to remove the required Mondays at the first of each trimester. I understand why we do it, but I don’t think that 30-minute classes at the start of a trimester are very effective for teaching, particularly the first week.”

Has the schedule been effective on student performance though? According to Thunder Ridge Principal, Mr. McLaren, “During the 1st trimester this year, we saw a marked improvement of student scores compared to the same trimester of last school year.  The number of Ds and Fs, as well as the number of Fs, was reduced over the course of the trimester and we ended up with fewer students failing as compared to last year.”

So maybe the Monday schedule, while needing some changes, isn’t so bad after all. Even if to some it seems pointless it has been effective. Also, the board has recently approved a similar schedule for next year, meaning Mondays won’t be changing anytime soon.

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