New H-Block App Results in Differing Opinions

H-Block: a time used by SHS students to socialize, relax, meet with teachers, host club meetings and get homework done–among other activities. Homerooms are organized by students’ graduating class and alphabetical order, averaging about 20 students per homeroom. Students at SHS stay in their homeroom from the first day of their freshman year to the last day of their senior year, creating a family-like atmosphere within home bases.

This year, SHS has created a new look for H-block: each week, students pre-select where they want to go for homeroom. Using the app, “Enriching Students,” students select a teacher’s room for H-block based on which subject needs extra attention and the number of seats a teacher has available. The app also allows students to make appointment requests to see teachers; likewise, teachers can schedule students for extra help. 

Though the new look of H-Block was created to benefit students, many feel as though it is just an added source of confusion in their weekly schedule. 

Junior Sorina Condon feels that the “Enriching Students” app is “confusing and hard to use.” For this reason, she stayed in her own homeroom for the first day of the new schedule. Condon expressed frustration with the program, feeling as though it is limiting her freedom during H block rather than adding to it. During the old H block schedule, Condon said she was able to get multiple assignments done, stop by teachers’ rooms for quick questions, and return to her homeroom to do work, making for a more productive half hour overall. 

Senior Abby Spires went to the cafe on the first day of the new schedule, hoping “to experiment with the app and find a common meeting place to hang out with [her] friends.” Spires found shared frustrations with Condon, describing the software as “inconsistent, hard to use and not user friendly.” Spires enjoyed the stress-free H-block prior to the new schedule, including the sense of community within her homeroom.  

Some teachers at SHS share frustrations with their students about the inconvenience of the app, having to schedule kids who do not schedule themselves in time. Teachers also feel as though this app was created for students to be more independent and take responsibility into their own hands for scheduling their time, yet they still find themselves signing up their students for meeting times.  

Though the irritations surrounding this new app remain, there are some benefits. Freshman biology teacher Tyler Roberts says it’s “nice to know where [his] kids are.” He also noted, “It’s great for kids who are missing or behind on work to schedule their time wisely.” 

It can be human nature to resist new technology–or even changes in routine. Hopefully, with time the “Enriching Students” app will be welcomed by all students and teachers. Only time will tell how this new app will benefit SHS.