When I taught Chem. at N. Salinas HS the schedule was four block classes
+ a shorter "study hall" and two "nutrition" breaks. The length was v.
~ 1.4 h. I liked it -- less xam. time, grading, fewer students, etc.
Only disadvantage was I had to prepare for a longer class time. I
couldn't understand why the chair hated it. W/ a new principal and that
chair's, inter alia, spear heading a change, it happened last year. It's
five classes 50 min. no study hall and only a lunch break. Jeff is
delighted, first because the new schedule results in a longer total
teaching time and more compact lecture / discussion, etc. Second he
thinks the teaching will improve, because so many of the teachers gave
up interacting w/ their classes after an hour and had them do home work
-- (this appalled me.) He said he'll now have enuff time to spend
nearly a week on radioactivity -- this one concerns me.