Staff and Students Share Concerns Regarding Semester System
Photo Credit: Teresa Chen
Many teachers and students are not in favour of the continuation of the semester system, instead favouring the linear system. The semester system is set to continue in all VSB secondary schools for the 2023-2024 school year.
Some Hamber students have had trouble with the semester system. “[The semester system] is confusing, and it is not a good way of handling classes,” said Gus Pollard (8). He elaborated on his greatest difficulty being “boredom, because classes are every day for a bunch of months.”
Many teachers have expressed concerns about the semester system, of which include the impact on the pacing and timing, the continuity of subjects, and the ability to form connections.
Mr. D. Lee (Science) explained the difference in the pacing of the semester system. He explained that it can be hard for students to catch up on any missed classwork, because course content is condensed into a smaller period of time.
“I feel like overall, [it] is trending more positively towards [the] linear system, because it's just easier for students to catch back up if they've fallen behind. I think for those students it's much more beneficial,” Mr. Lee added.
In the physical education classes, the timing of the semester system can cause a lack of equal opportunity based on the weather differences. Attempting to balance classes has been difficult.
“It's different than when you're teaching in a classroom; the content tends to be the same,” Mr. I. Sehmbi (Physical Education) told The Nest. “For us, in terms of opportunities, [they are] a little bit more weather dependent.”
Ms. B. Panesar (English) noted the importance of building connections with students, and how the semester system can make that challenging.
“The year allows teachers to build strong relationships with students. I really like to get to know my students, and that takes time.”
However, Mr. Sehmbi saw semesters as beneficial to forming relationships, because of the frequency of classes. “[When] you can see the same kids repetitively, you [can] see change over time,” he said. “I feel like over five months, you get to see kids being active all the time, [and] you get to make really strong relationships with kids.
Although they have concerns, many teachers expressed that they can see both sides of the debate. “I see pros and cons in both. I think it's great [that] the kids have the ability to focus on three courses, and I think that's great for their personal learning. A lot of kids really enjoy that.” Mr. Sehmbi commented. Mr. Lee had similar thoughts.
Some expressed a more critical viewpoint. Ms. Panesar added, “Please, can someone tell the Vancouver School Board that they have made a mistake and they need to change the system to the linear.”