Marketplace Mission Learning Center

From August 2011 to June 2018, why was Marketplace Mission Learning Center 9 to 3 a six hour school day and not a seven hour school day?

Marco Island, Florida

A Collier County high school day of seven hours holds classes from 7:10 - 2:05 with seven 50 minute periods and a staggered lunch/5th period. I posted the schedule below.

Period Schedule

A student who took five classes would spend 50 minutes per class times 5 for a total of 250 minutes in class. However, my 31 years of teaching mostly 11th grade in a public school taught me that it took me three or four minutes every period to take attendance and get the students settled and begin the lesson, and I know students prepared to change classes in the last three or four minutes of each class because they only had five minutes between classes. With the settling down and preparing to leave and the passing classes and the lunch period students lost over 100 minutes of learning time. We should reduce the  total instruction time of 5 times 50 minutes - 250 minutes to 43 minutes times 5 classes - 215 minutes. The student will have study hall, but rules restrict the student to only activities allowed in the room; no talking, often no computer, no arts or crafts with only quiet desk work.

In Marketplace Mission Learning Center (MMLC) students do not change classes, do eat breakfast/brunch/lunch anytime they choose and if they keep up with their coursework may move to another workstation such as the 3D printer, the art table, the sewing machine, the iMac to edit video or work on photos or ToonBoom cartoons. The student may take an Arduino electronic kit back to their desk or a loom, or the Proscope microscope. The student may take the podcast recorder into another room and record a podcast. The student may conference with another student to propose, plan and/or execute a joint project. I expect MMLC students to complete five or more lessons, quizzes, projects and/or tests a day with 20 or more per week. Certainly six hour school days offer enough time to meet this goal. Their online coursework allows them to login and work when they choose. Our coursework, Ignitia, has a quiz for every lesson, but if a student struggles with a lesson I expect them to go to outside sources such as MathTV and Khan Academy and YouTube to learn from other teachers. I expect MMLC students to learn to learn their own way. The internet library presents their lessons in so many ways. They command the world internet library from our MMLC classroom. I offer encouragement and instruction, but I strive everyday to achieve my goal to develop self-reliance and competence through actual accomplishments. To grow the student must feel and come to live the self-reliance and self confidence. Our name says “Marketplace” because everyone must enter and survive and thrive in the marketplace; “Mission” because everyone should do everything as a mission; “Learning” because MMLC strives to develop lifelong learners and “Center” because together with you the student, with your parents, with your fellow students and with me, we will start here in the center and create our world.

So 9-3 sounds fine to me. What do you think?