If I don’t have a club to go to from 11:00-11:45 on days one and five, it’s almost a guarantee that I’ll be getting ahead on homework or catching up on something I’ve missed. I’m not the only one who does this either—I’ve worked on group projects with other students during the Clubs block. In fact, I’ve made an agenda around those periods, banking on having that time to stay on top of work. Recently, though, special MXs have been filling up that slot, sometimes with only one day of warning. This causes issues for people like me who rely on this time to complete their work. Also, students are missing out on the opportunity to participate in their clubs and affinity groups on those days. Less time means fewer chances to foster community in affinities, and it means clubs will have less of a chance to finish projects or meet their intended purpose. To me this defeats the purpose of having a Clubs block as it won’t be used to the maximum extent.
Just days after finishing my role in the Upper School Spring Musical and while I was still recovering from the late performances and rehearsals and simultaneously hosting an exchange student, I joined the track team, a passion of mine. Because of the quick switch between two high-commitment activities, I had very little time to adjust to my change in schedule and plan my homework in accordance. Most importantly, I had an essay due that I already had an extension on because of my other commitments, but I didn’t have much of a chance to finish because of my obligations toward my exchange student. I planned to finish it during the clubs slot only to learn that I couldn’t because of the Middle School Musical’s MX.
There are benefits to special MXs though, and those can’t be discounted, educational value, entertainment, and showcasing student talent. A recent example were the MXs supporting, once again, the Upper School Musical “RENT” and the Middle School production of “Shrek.” From my perspective, these MXs had two important purposes: to appreciate the effort put in by the participants and to encourage more students to attend the performances. These shows took =dedication and hard work to put on, and to me, it’s only fair to give the cast and crew a space to share the product of their long rehearsals with the rest of the school. Secondly, I believe that seeing a “preview” of the show in an MX context can give people a chance to make a decision about if they want to come to the show based on what they think. If that opportunity wasn’t given, I think there’s a solid possibility that fewer people would attend the production later because their interest wasn’t piqued.
With that being said, MXs should be kept to the time listed on the schedule. That way, Clubs blocks are used for their intended purpose in the same way the MX blocks are. While this might mean making hard decisions about what gets to be in those more limited timeslots (having students vote on what they find valuable for that block is a possibility), student time will be conserved for its intended purpose, and the enrichment from that can be just as valuable as an MX.
