I had a very interesting experience in the faculty room (not the one for eating. This was like a prep room). During lunch, I was making my mac and cheese in the prep room like I normally did, looking at all the books on the book shelf as I waited for the microwave to bing. While doing so, one of the English teachers came in and commented on how organized the room was getting. As I was agreeing, she pointed to a stack of Emma books on the table near us. She told me they were hers and that she never used them.
At that moment, another English teacher came in to use the microwave. She joined in on the conversation. The first teacher told me about an older English department head they used to have who told them they had to get through at least one book a quarter. She exclaimed it was impossible to do with the type of schedule the school had and all the unexpected changes that were always being made. As she was leaving, she made a comment about changing to a bloc schedule, and the way she said it made it sound like a horrible idea. The other teacher rolled her eyes and told me that she liked bloc scheduling. I admitted that I was a little biased because I went to a high school that had blocs instead of periods, so I was used to it. However, I mentioned that I could deal with either. she also told me that she was able to get through at least a book a quarter, even with her general students. Apparently, she's on her second book with them already. She left to go to the bathroom, and I left with my food.
It was just a very weird but interesting encounter.
Very interesting interaction! Block scheduling can be controversial depending on the teachers/school/atmosphere. Teachers who haven't taught in a block schedule before can be reluctant to give it a try, and the middle school team approach can sometimes complicate the schedule as well. It doesn't surprise me to hear that some teachers were rolling their eyes about it. You'll definitely run into differing opinions in schools when it comes to a variety of topics; it's important to listen to other experienced teachers, but there's value in doing your own research as well.
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