Opinion
Year-round School
OPschoolyearround598/600
by Nathan Wong
Many school districts throughout the United States follow a nine-month academic calendar in which students attend class during fall, winter and spring and have the summer months off. This system was designed back when America was more of an agrarian society in which children needed to help parents farm during June, July, and August. However, times have changed, and many children no longer need to work in the fields.
OPschoolyearround598/600
by Nathan Wong
Many school districts throughout the United States follow a nine-month academic calendar in which students attend class during fall, winter and spring and have the summer months off. This system was designed back when America was more of an agrarian society in which children needed to help parents farm during June, July, and August. However, times have changed, and many children no longer need to work in the fields.
As a result, many people are now calling for a new system in which school is year round. One of the main arguments for such a change is that students may forget information over the long summer break, so reducing time away from school can help children retain more knowledge. Furthermore, school buildings often go unoccupied during the summer months, so having school year round would make more use of districts’ space.
Linnea Mumma, a senior at Columbia High School, agrees that a long summer break after months of learning can be counterproductive. “I feel as though year-round school can be beneficial because of the fact that over a prolonged summer break, students tend to forget a lot of information, and a large portion of the fall is spent reviewing previously learned materials,” she said.
Another major concern is that end-of-the-school-year excitement causes some students to make unwise decisions. According to Arlinda Smith Broady’s article “End of School Year Brings Heightened Safety Issues,” “[t]he lure of swimming pools and sleeping later can make youngsters restless, careless and heedless of rules.” One school in Middleton, Ohio closed a day before the school year was scheduled to end because authorities felt it was simply too dangerous to remain open.
Some school districts have already adopted a year-round schedule. The most common form of this is a system in which students attend school for 45 days and then get a 15-day break, and holiday breaks are still fitted into the calendar. Essentially, the goal is to maintain the 180 total school days per year but to stretch them out over a longer period of time. Another popular schedule is the multi-track, in which certain groups of students go to school at different times during the day and do not share the same vacations in order to accommodate more students in a given space.
Some school districts have already adopted a year-round schedule. The most common form of this is a system in which students attend school for 45 days and then get a 15-day break, and holiday breaks are still fitted into the calendar. Essentially, the goal is to maintain the 180 total school days per year but to stretch them out over a longer period of time. Another popular schedule is the multi-track, in which certain groups of students go to school at different times during the day and do not share the same vacations in order to accommodate more students in a given space.
While many people are pushing for a change in the school year’s academic calendar, there are individuals who still insist that the current system’s benefits outweigh the detriments.
A major concern about changing the current schedule is that it would take away from quality family time. As of right now, families are better able to plan trips, vacations and reunions due to the fact that summer break is a long stretch of time in which many children have no school obligations. If school were to be year round, family members may miss out on the chance to spend time with each other before children reach adulthood. Furthermore, some students and teachers argue that summer is necessary and something to look forward to after a long and intense school year. Lastly, some students look for internships and job opportunities over the summer, although a counterargument to this claim is that many students choose to do nothing productive and eventually find themselves bored.
Sam Forman, another senior at Columbia High School, feels that “the traditional schedule allows students to unwind and pursue jobs or internships that they wouldn’t be able to if they had school during the summer.”
Turner Andrasz agrees: “I think that we all need time to relax and take a longer break from the stress of school.”
A major concern about changing the current schedule is that it would take away from quality family time. As of right now, families are better able to plan trips, vacations and reunions due to the fact that summer break is a long stretch of time in which many children have no school obligations. If school were to be year round, family members may miss out on the chance to spend time with each other before children reach adulthood. Furthermore, some students and teachers argue that summer is necessary and something to look forward to after a long and intense school year. Lastly, some students look for internships and job opportunities over the summer, although a counterargument to this claim is that many students choose to do nothing productive and eventually find themselves bored.
Sam Forman, another senior at Columbia High School, feels that “the traditional schedule allows students to unwind and pursue jobs or internships that they wouldn’t be able to if they had school during the summer.”
Turner Andrasz agrees: “I think that we all need time to relax and take a longer break from the stress of school.”
 |
| https://www.screenflex.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/school-breaks.png |
Comments
Post a Comment