The new schedule for the 2016/2017 academic year has been a disputable issue that has kept teachers and students debating. In the new schedule, the order of classes got rearranged, and there is a Panther Block which runs from 10:20 to 10:50. As a result, school has to end 20 minutes later.

There are several reasons why the schedule change is positive. One of the reasons is that the clubs get to meet more often. Punn Punnakanta (10), the president of the Sati ISB club, shares that “since the purpose of [his] club is to go out and play with children while raising funds for them, the new schedule allow [them] to communicate with different schools in Thailand and finish [their] work faster.”

Another reason why this schedule adjustment is positive is that the panther block allows students who do not participate in clubs to talk to teachers or counselors regarding school work.

The new schedule is beneficial because it is easier to memorize the classes and it is less confusing than the old schedule. Sam Limsuwanarot (10) notes that “with the new schedule, it is easier to know what class we will go to first thing in the morning or after a class. For example, on Day 5, we will know that we will go to period 5 first thing in the morning. This lowers the chance of arriving at a wrong class since you know exactly where to go to.”

However, the main negative aspect of the new schedule is the Panther Block itself. Some people who do not have any clubs may find Panther Block redundant.

Personally, I think that the new schedule is positive. I feel like the addition of Panther block is useful for every students, not just members of clubs. The Panther block does not only allow clubs to meet more often, but it also allow students to socialize and relax from the stress in school. In the old schedule, the students does not have time to relax and what they do all day is study. As a result, students have time to do something other than learning that is not as stressful.

I feel like the new schedule will benefit all students, even those who are not in any clubs. It allow students to memorize their schedule easier and it also allow students to have time to relax. The new schedule is a change that ISB was wise to make.

 Jeff Manthananon