At WA, most students’ days are filled with challenging classes and an incredibly heavy workload. For many, this can lead to feelings such as burnout, which cause long term strain on the body and the mind, or even just an overall feeling of mental exhaustion. Although it may not seem so, there is a solution to this: breaking the negative stigma around Designated Learning Times (DLTs), so students can feel confident having multiple in their schedules throughout all four years of high school.
DLTs act as a free period for WA students, however, there is a stigma around loading up schedules with higher level classes instead of allowing yourself a free period. A scheduled DLT takes up one semester, and students are given a flexible choice as to how many they can have as long as they get the appropriate credits to graduate. Students are allowed to take one DLT throughout freshmen to junior year, and two their senior year; however, many students do not use this to their advantage. Some will take one their junior year, and one to two their senior year.
But how is this beneficial to those who already have a lot on their plate throughout all four years of high school? Although junior and senior year are exceptionally stressful high school years, 70% of high school students will still experience anxiety over school work throughout all four years of highschool. Therefore, for students to have a less stressful overall high school experience, they should attempt to integrate as many DLTs into their schedules as possible.
It is no secret that WA’s academic environment can be incredibly demanding. Each class is expected to be accompanied with 30 minutes of homework for students to complete in their free time, and this can already add up to 2 hours and 30 minutes. However, it is near impossible for homework to take the same amount of time for everyone, and adding in the time spent on separate projects or studying for tests, this leads to a much larger obligation for students. To add on, it is incredibly common and encouraged to be a student athlete, meaning most days students will not get home until at least 3:00 p.m, but with games or meets, the times can go much later. This further delays the time a student is available to start their homework. This does not even consider the level of difficulty some of the Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes carry that leads to more hours spent on homework each night.
However, a DLT can lessen the burden some students face by giving them a 65 minute period three to four times a week that can be spent on homework or studying. This can take an hour off of work after school, or even more as teenagers who get less than five hours of sleep are 29% less productive than those who get the recommended seven to eight hours.
Although there is a stigma around DLTs and some perceive take it as a time to be “lazy” or “slack off”, it can actually be looked at completely differently. Instead of thinking of it as a free block, students should shift their mindsets to the idea that a DLT can be used as a planning block for tasks that were going to be done later anyways. These can range from homework to even college or job applications.
Even so, the effects of lack of sleep go much deeper than completing assignments. Sleep depravity also can have a serious effect on the body. Not only can it worsen mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, but it can even worsen physical health and increase sickness as sleep helps the body regulate the immune system, as well as hormones, muscles and tissue recovery. With a DLT, students have a much larger chance of not facing the repercussions of exhaustion.
Moreover, a DLT doesn’t always have to be spent doing work, it can also just provide a moment to take a deep breath during a full and stressful school day. Studies show that approximately 27% of teenagers struggle with burnout. As a student with a busy schedule, burnout is no stranger to me, however, my DLT this year has provided a calm moment during the blur of tests and assignments that swirl through my head during the rest of the day. DLTs are not only reserved to those who struggle with a busy schedule; people who feel overwhelmed should take one as well.
Although some may argue that it is difficult to integrate a DLT into their schedule every school year due to the WA credit system, there are ways the school itself can adjust to work around this. Recently, there was a proposition by Principal Dan Twomey to combine freshmen P.E. and health into one class. This would require work and brainstorming from the school as they carry different courses, but would work towards the overall well being of the student body by giving freshmen an easier time working a DLT into their schedule. Similarly, there has been a lot of talk from students as to whether P.E. should be a required course at all, specifically for student athletes who are already doing physical exertion almost everyday. If sports were to count as an alternative to P.E., this could provide students who already struggle with finding time after school due to sports with an extra carved out time block for a DLT. Lastly, supporting the idea of changing the senior graduation credit from 32.5 to 30 credits is another step in the right direction, as it would give seniors more space to schedule a full-year DLT.
Another idea WA could consider if they did not want to change up the credit system or needed time to work the specifics out, is implementing new elective classes related to completing college applications and creating resumes. Creating classes like these gives students the necessary skills to complete the things that they would otherwise be doing outside of school.
Creating a schedule that you will enjoy is an incredibly difficult task. By no means does every student need to take a DLT, but if needed, there should not be a system nor a mindset in the way of taking it. As the years progress, students are only going to begin to feel more pressure, so there’s no use in feeling anxiety for all four years of school when there is a perfectly good solution to stop the tornado of assignments and tests circling students at all times: students freely taking DLTs.
Mrs. Jozokos • Mar 26, 2025 at 1:11 pm
As a teacher who has covered DLT for years I wish every student used DLT to effectively do their work. I thought we were heading in the right direction when we implemented the no phone policy, but unfortunately that didn’t last for DLT.
Also, Health and PE have very different curricula and trying to combine them freshmen year would leave out a lot of important topics that are beneficial to all students. And, moving in PE is extremely beneficial to overall physical and mental health which can also help students who are overwhelmed and burnt out.