Before Flex Block, IACS did not have a time built into the school day specifically for extra help. Now, with extra help time built into the school day, students have an opportunity to access extra help without having to stay after school. Staying after school can create difficulty for students for several reasons. If a student takes a bus to get home (LRTA bus, Christianson bus, Tyngsborough Public Schools bus), they will most likely be unable to stay after school for extra help since attending extra help would mean missing their bus ride home. Also, students who participate in the Athletics Program may not be able to attend extra help after the school day either.
Receiving extra help during Flex Block is a first come first serve opportunity, so if you want to attend extra help,… sign up as early as possible!
Teachers serve a dual purpose at IACS, since many of them are teachers and advisors/co-advisors. By having extra help for one set of subjects/teachers on Wednesdays and extra help for a different set of subjects/teachers on Fridays, teachers are able to rotate their roles on which set of teachers oversee their Flex Block pair room on one day and which set of teachers provide extra help on that day.
One of the advantages of the way Flex Block is set up is that students can participate in two different choice block periods. A student could join a club at IACS and attend that club during the Wednesday choice block session and attend a different activity during the Friday choice block session.
I greatly appreciate the thought behind the Flex Block from the school administration. As a student who takes the LRTA, I have already benefited from receiving extra help not once a week, but twice a week during school hours since I would be unable to attend extra help after school hours.
In my opinion, Flex Block proves effective in taking advantage of students’ in-school time to offer extra help and/or provide a guided study time for IACS students.
