In the first through third grade at TKA, students have the same class schedule every day in the same room. In fourth grade, however, this changes. To expose students to all that TKA has to offer, elementary students in fourth through sixth grade get rotating class schedules that allow them to take all their required classes while also choosing a major and minor subject. Students have major days on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and minor days on Wednesdays and Fridays. This was a clever idea as it allows elementary students to slowly get used to rotating class schedules before they become middle schoolers. Having been homeschooled up until eighth grade, I don’t know what the transition to rotating class schedules is like for TKA students, so in order to find out, I interviewed several elementary students on their opinion of rotating schedules and received a variety of responses.
Many of the students I interviewed enjoyed rotating class schedules because it added ‘variety’ to their day.
One fifth-grader, Ashley Fowler, told me, “You get to have cool teachers!”
“I like it,” Lylah Burrage said, “You get to have a break. Recess after block two instead of block three.”
“It’s more fun, you get to talk more, walk more,” says Autumn Gay, from the Class of 2027, “It’s better than before.” Many of the students interviewed agreed with Autumn, enjoying their chance to talk between classes and stretch their legs. One of the fifth graders, Hunter Smith, said it was ‘better than normal’ because you get to have Conservatory. Another student, Joey Lavati, even remarked that he enjoyed rotating schedules so much that he wished he had them sooner.
Not everyone adapts easily to the new schedules, though. A few students found the change somewhat difficult.
While most of the elementary students at The King’s Academy enjoy rotating class schedules, there are some who find transitions such as this one a little bit stressful. It will actually be important for these elementary students to know how to handle changing classes. It’s important for elementary students to learn and experience basic school skills, like how to utilize a locker and how to get from class to class without being late before they become middle schoolers. At the end of the day, students at TKA will have to learn how to manage rotating class schedules, and elementary is a good place to begin learning that routine. So, while rotating class schedules can sometimes be a difficult adjustment, TKA has made it easier for elementary students by slowly acclimating them to the new schedule.
