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The notion of Summer vacation is outdated, but there's a great reason to wait til after Labor Day to start schools:
With school districts clamoring for money, it makes sense to start after Labor Day, as you won't have to run air thru all of those schools in august...the hottest part of the year. That alone would save tons for school districts. Also, kids are too wound up & can't learn when they're hot & sweaty! It's still warm in the start of September, but nowhere near as hot as August.
The reason our children are, in general, falling behind other nations is the lack of emphasis on STEM - not summer vacation. In addition, it's less the whole educational system that's an issue than it is our low scorers are being tracked into college prep vice vocational activities. Other countries don't do that. But that's another issue.
I still would rather advocate for Saturday school and longer vacation than year round school. And I believe I can prepare my child for living a life in a global world without requiring year round school. Preparation for the global economy has nothing to do with children going to school longer or not. It has to do with the emphasis of study and ability to master complex material. My own school prepared students for that and I know my own child is prepared for the global economy, even with summer vacation. Shoot, most of peers from boarding school are now running multi-national corporations. They did not seem to suffer from longer vacations.
The only children that genuinely benefit from year round school are those that need the school to act as a babysitter and those that are behind their peers. I am tired of schools catering to the lowest common denominator but again, that's likely a conversation best left off this thread.
912 has a good point - budgets are tight and operating facilities in 100+ degree days is expensive. Imagine how the budget would look if our children went to school for the majority of the summer down here?
Actually Southbel, the costs are the same for year round single track systems.
The issue is beyond STEM, it's the outdated view of the educational process and children's capacity. There are always those top tier people that will excel. But we need to educate a workforce, not the few. In fact, the US has declined in millionaire production while Europe continues to climb even with the global economy effecting both sides of the pond.
..... And I believe I can prepare my child for living a life in a global world without requiring year round school. ...?
TBH ... when I was in school 20+ years ago, the school years were shorter, the classes available were not as advanced and still I went to college, I'm successful in my field and have absolutely no doubt in my mind that my sons would be just as well off with one more week or even two more weeks of summer break as opposed to pushing a 6-day 'BURN EM OUT' school week.
The burden is shared by all. By the parents at home giving proper support and encouragement. By the school faculty with proper skills in relating and educating as well as the students themselves being willing and able to absorb the information without burning out or going into sensory overload.
TBH ... when I was in school 20+ years ago, the school years were shorter, the classes available were not as advanced and still I went to college, I'm successful in my field and have absolutely no doubt in my mind that my sons would be just as well off with one more week or even two more weeks of summer break as opposed to pushing a 6-day 'BURN EM OUT' school week.
The burden is shared by all. By the parents at home giving proper support and encouragement. By the school faculty with proper skills in relating and educating as well as the students themselves being willing and able to absorb the information without burning out or going into sensory overload.
There is no ONE right answer.
I agree with you on the burden - it must be shared by all. At the end of the day, if a child and his parents are not invested in education, that child will fail. No school schedule will change that.
I know a six day school week sound terrible but truly it was not. It wasn't just going to school for six days, it was a different style of teaching as well. Of course, totally different student going to boarding school than the average public school. Many of my classes were Socratic method. Thus homework was less about having an assignment which you would turn in for a grade and more about preparation for the next class. I enjoyed this method and personally felt I learned far more than in a traditional lecture and assigned homework style of class. Honestly, I found college a cakewalk after boarding school.
The charter schools up in Southern Maryland do year round. They get breaks also when the other schools are in session so the vacation areas aren't crowded with everyone else going. The parent's love it and the kids actually are further along compared to other students.
The charter schools up in Southern Maryland do year round. They get breaks also when the other schools are in session so the vacation areas aren't crowded with everyone else going. The parent's love it and the kids actually are further along compared to other students.
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