Year Round School

[Kain99]

The idea of year round school makes me sad I know in todays world with two working parents it's probably safer than leaving older kids at home alone for two 1/2 months..... But I can't imagine not having my summers to look forward to when I was young.

 

[Sharon]

I have a friend in Florida where they did the year round thing, they eventually cancelled it. She said it was a real pain because the elementary, middle, and high schools were all off at different times which made it almost impossible for her to work (w/o paying for daycare) because sometimes the elementary schools were closed but the other two were still open and vice versa.

 

[SmallTown]

The idea has pros and cons.
The biggest plus is that it keep the kids "fresh".. They go to school the same number of days, but after smaller breaks throughout the year. You really have about 4-5 months of wasted time with education these days.. The summers are normally spent lounging around because many times both parents are working and thus don't try to "stimulate" the kids during the summer.. The other wasted time comes at the end of the school year when teachers are simply trying to cram in a bunch of information, where as the kids minds are wondering off thinking about days at the beach.. The beginning of the school year is rough because people have to get "in gear" again, which takes plenty of time.. The year around school would keep them fresh and ready to go.

The biggest negative I see is for the high school kids.. With the costs of things today, most high school kids work A LOT during the summer to have spending money.. I know I did. Plus the time off from school gives the kids a chance to explore other things such as going to different camps or what not..

But it is pretty dumb to things like Vrai mentioned and have the schools off at different times

 

[watercolor]

I actually went to year around school back in california. I cant see that happening here...well I would rather not see it happen. It sucks I really dont like it.

Going through the summer time in school just bites, because that is when the family trips are being planned. Also, there is a couple things that are not perks either. Especially it gives the teachers time to just veg out. They need it just as much as the kids do. I just dont like it. So I vote NO WAY.

 

[in8alpha]

Having lived in California and having children in school year-round I must say that I found it a lot better than the current system. The children end up with as much or more time out of school than currently... it's just spread out. 2 months or so in school, a month off. It allows parents to actually plan a vacation outside of the hottest months of the year. The kids get more than 4 days off for Spring Break. Christmas and New Years are 3 to 4 weeks long.. etc... If handled properly the school system can do what's in the best interest of both the kids and the parents.

 

[watercolor]

Yes, but I will speak from a "kids" POV on the year around school....it stinks. I remember going through it. I hated it. And plus,I will tell you from a teachers POV also, that the summer time is nice to just GET AWAY from all the work for a good 2.5 months. Not having to worry about it till mid-august. The teachers need just as much of a break, if not more. They have lives too. And with them being off in the summer time, they dont have to cater to the allotment of a week during spring break or a week at christmas. Also, give them the year so to speak to get the lessons out in a timely maner, without being interupted by so many breaks in a month. You see where I am going with this?

So I vote NO on the year around school. I dont think it is a good idea.

 

[in8alpha]

Speaking from a parent's POV and as someone who is in a relationship with a teacher and see's and knows what they go through as well as having this conversation with her... I must say that while the student's POV is valid it must not be taken into consideration when deciding these kinds of things. From a teacher's POV they get "brighter" students year-round. Not as much is lost in two weeks to a month as is lost in 3 to 4 months. The whole first semester of school is spent re-capping the previous year to bring kids back up to where they should be so that they can move forward. Of course, this doesn't apply to all students as some of them retain more of the information than others, so those kids just end up being bored for 3 months until the rest of the class catches back up. My teacher friend got caught up on her rest and relaxation within a month or so last summer and was kind of bored and ready to get back to work well before summer ended. Most children now days aren't needed to help work in the fields during the summer as they were back when this system was implemented. It is archaic and not helping our children in the long run. I'm sure almost any child would prefer to have 3 months off school in a row rather than a few weeks here and there.. but that isn't a true reflection of the way the real world works. You grow up and get a job, it isn't just for 8 months of the year. It is all year long.

 

[Sharon]

Originally posted by in8alpha
.. but that isn't a true reflection of the way the real world works. You grow up and get a job, it isn't just for 8 months of the year. It is all year long.

Most of us grew up that way and were able to adjust to the real world. Those that don't make it in school probably won't make it in the real world no matter when their time off is.

 

[Hessian]

I teach....I would be willing to explore the potentials of it but...in Summer time: Teachrs DO NOT just Veg out.

I've taken 18 hours of Postgraduate courses during summer...traveling with family is an extension of education too.

On the other side: I'd love to experience the freedom of travel in October when the tourist spots are quiet...or experience the great weather of spring instead of being inside grading term papers and preparing finals.

I'm willing to look at it.

 

[Makavide]

What about the concept of 4 day school weeks. There are a few school districts out west that are running this way. They added a hour and a half to the school day and cut our fridays. This saves the school districts 20% in transportation costs and 20% food costs since the busses and lunch room aren't needed on fridays. This also gives the teachers one day a week to set aside for planning and workshops as well as parent/teacher conferances. The attandance rates were also up, since parents could schedule doctor appointments and such for the day the kids weren't in school. The school year is still the same 8 months, just based on hours per school year instead of days per school year.