As the second quarter of the second semester comes to an end, students finally adjust to their surroundings in their new classes. From adapting to new teachers to remembering which desk they sit in for each class, students feel a bit overwhelmed.

“The most challenging part about adjusting to a new schedule is remembering the new rules and procedures,” Krislyn Edwards, 9th, said.

Aside from the cons of switching classes for the second semester, there are some pros to this situation. For example, students who disliked a teacher last semester may have one they bond with better this semester. Also, loud, rambunctious classmates may be replaced with calmer, quieter students. But then again, it could be vice versa. Another plus is getting to know peers you’ve never had the chance to talk to before.

“I like how I got to meet new people and a new teacher,” Rosario Arrendondo, 9th, said. “The most challenging part was getting to see and know new people because it’s hard to fit in.”

Even though having a new subject, teacher, and classmates may be a plus, getting to the new classroom on time is hard for some

“The most challenging part about adjusting to my schedule is getting to my classes because I have a different route than before,” Laura Ounthouang, 9th, said.

Not only is it hard on the students but on the single-semester teachers as well. They might not have the trouble of remembering which classroom they’re supposed to be in or which desk they sit at, but they do have trouble with remembering which students are in which class and all the new names to learn.

“The most challenging part of having a new group of students each semester is learning 130 or more names for the second time that school year,” Ms. Core, careers teacher, said. “I’m not good at names anyway as any of my former students can tell you. I never forget a face, but I will never remember a name. It’s awful! I find I can sometimes remember their names if I give them a name of my own choosing. For instance, this semester I can remember Shenlon’s name because one day I told him I was going to call him Bob. Sometimes I call him Shenlon, and sometimes I call him Bob. But now I remember his name is Shenlon.”

In addition to learning new names, single-semester teachers have other difficulties.

“The most challenging part of the switch is teaching procedures again,” Mr. Graham, art teacher, said. “It is a challenge because it takes students some time to ‘get it.’”

Aside from schedule changes being hard on students and teachers, it can also be hard on the school counselors. Many students dislike the subject they are in or accidentally ended up in two of the same classes, so the counselors have to help those students choose a replacement class.

“We try our best to honor students course requests that students make in the spring,” Mrs. Ray, counselor, said. “Our entire school schedule is created based on how many students request a class. For example, if 40 students request Art, we know that we have to create two classes of Art to accommodate those students. Our classes fill up quickly because we design the school schedule that way, and we have a very large school! We have to ensure that class sizes are not too big and that teachers do not exceed allowable number of students, which is a law. We all change our minds about things from time to time, but when an entire school schedule honors 840 student course requests, it’s complicated to change even one class.”