Mustang Block Review

To make a more predictable and stable schedule this year, Breck moved from a 7 hour schedule to 8 hours. To occupy the extra hour, Breck students have Mustang Block during 6th hour, with different uses for each grade. Sophomores are enrolled in one of three classes for Mustang Block: Research Methods, Global Citizenship, and Inclusive Leadership. To get a better understanding of fellow Sophomores’ views on Mustang Block, I spoke with several students about their perspectives.

A common theme that emerged from conversations was a repetitive curriculum that didn’t make a good use of the extra hour. “We just did the same thing over and over again,” said Benjie Sullivan. Instead of Mustang Block, several students suggested time for tutorial, advisory, meeting with teachers, or even just more community time like assembly. Another criticism was the class size. Many students found the large class size made it hard to be engaged. Words used to describe Mustang block ranged from “unproductive” (Nolan LaMere) to “egregious” (Jackson Croom) to “mid” (Egan Gemada).

However, the new schedule as a whole received very positive feedback. Ballard Breazeale explained, “I know what classes I have and it’s consistent”. Students agreed that the 8 hour schedule made things like homework planning much easier, instead of the constantly rotating 7 hour schedule we had last year.

Breck needs to find a better use for Mustang Block that helps students deal with a rigorous course load. That might be converting it into tutorial or advisory time, or working with students to create a mustang block curriculum that better fits student’s interests.