Trimesters Not So Bad, Say Students

My trip to Camp Lakodia Wednesday brought me an unexpected conversation with two Madison students, Ethan and Scott. ("Mom! Dad! Some crazy guy in waders and an Army hat came up to us and started talking!" Don't worry -- that was me.) They were there for the choral contest. Having finished their performance (as evidenced by their untucked shirts -- keeping a shirt tucked in seems to be as great a discomfort for teenage boys as wearing a necktie), they were out hanging out on the swings and enjoying the lake view.

We got to talking about chorus, and I asked the big trimester question: does Madison High School's trimester schedule interfere with their musical education, or with education in general?

Scott and Ethan say no, not really. There is turnover in the choir: if I understood them correctly, it sounds like kids generally take only two trimesters of choir, meaning the choir director doesn't get to work with the same kids for the full school year. The boys also find themselves at a disadvantage at the spring music contests: they get to start working on the music for the March small-group contest at Augie when third trimester starts at the end of February -- that's tight rehearsal schedule! Their friends at West Central start working on their contest music at the beginning of second semester after Christmas.

On the whole, though, Ethan and Scott say they like the trimester system. They feel a little rushed in some classes, but they like having just five classes at a time instead of seven. They feel the trimester system gives them more room to try out different electives and figure out what they want to do in college.

Scott came from a semester system in Mobridge, and he particularly likes the more drastic change in schedule. Under the semester system, says Scott, you have your core classes (English, math, science, etc.) that usually run two semesters, meaning you're in the same classroom with the same teacher the same class period all year long. Under the trimester system, you may still have brain-busting algebra for two trimesters at 8:30, but you get a change the third trimester. At both trimester breaks, students usually get a nice shake-up in their schedules. That variety, say Ethan and Scott, is nice.

So Trimester Study Committee, if you're listening, don't forget to talk to Ethan and Scott. I'm still not convinced the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but the kids have to live with whatever schedule we come up with, so we need their input as well.

Thanks, Ethan and Scott, for your ideas!