This year, Concord Academy launched Wednesday workshop blocks, also known as X/H blocks. There was some confusion about how they would work and what they would look like in the beginning, but over time, the value and impact of this idea have become apparent. From giving teachers the opportunity to implement innovative and fun ideas to providing time for essential programming, Wednesday workshop blocks have been beneficial to the CA community.
Half of these Wednesday workshop blocks are X-blocks, where the programming is very specific and often tailored to courses at CA. One of the biggest successes of X-blocks are the language tables. Consistent fixtures of Wednesday workshop blocks, language tables offer an opportunity for those taking a language to explore the culture, people, and countries of their languagePerfect for beginners and advanced speakers, the language tables have complemented language classes and have helped teachers and students connect over a language they share. In addition to language tables, there have been many other X-block offerings, including seminars on ranked-choice voting and criminal justice. Even if your classes do not mandate that you go to X-block meetings, you should definitely keep your eyes peeled for one that interests you.
The other style of Wednesday programming blocks, H-blocks, have also been beneficial to the community. They provide time for class meetings, which have always been an integral part of bringing students together. They’ve also provided time for all school meetings, which are still very important to have, albeit virtually. Many Community and Equity and health and wellness meetings have occured in these blocks. In a time when tensions in the country are high and the future is uncertain, these groups are especially important. Students and teachers alike come together to discuss important issues, such as racial equality and stress management.
Even though this school year is so different than we expected, many brilliant innovations, including Wednesday workshop blocks, have resulted. The opportunities they present to teachers and students are endless, and bringing the CA community together is so important when feeling connected is harder than ever. If you have not already taken advantage of these opportunities, you should definitely try one out.