Monday, June 29, 2009

Summer break should be in the winter

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I am in favor of a year-round school calendar, with three-week breaks in between ten-week sessions. I don't see that happening though, so don't panic, I'm not pushing for it.

Today though, as I was walking my dogs in bright sunshine and pleasant temps at 6:30AM, it occurred to me that this is a lousy time for a long vacation from school. It's easy to get up early and get the day going when the sun rises long before school starts. It's easier to wait for the bus when it's 70 degrees than 30 degrees. Summertime commuting is rarely interrupted by snow storms.

Contrast this with the dark and cold month of January... the perfect time of year to sleep in late and avoid shivering in the dark at a bus stop. The perfect time of year to head for warmer, sunnier places.

If we're going to have a 10-week vacation between academic years, let's have it in the winter time, taking off from just before Christmas until the end of February. Think of how many snow days we'll avoid.

No? Oh well. It was just a thought while I was walking my dogs.
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13 comments:

  1. I'm a year-around school advocate for many different reasons. The reasons for a summer break ("to make hay and tend the garden") are culturally anachronistic. Children who depend on FRL lunch program for meals go hungry, and long breaks with unsupervision because both parents work is bad for children.

    I also find leaving school buildings idle for several months to be a waste of taxpayer money. Instead of building more school buildings use the existing ones for more hours each day and more days each year. Also, we'd save more energy and money (and be green) by taking the break in the winter where the temperature difference between outside and inside (degree days) is greater than during the summer. The reduction in traffic during the snowiest months would save money too.

    I think it will take another generation before the benefits of change overcome the inertia of "but we've always done it this way!"
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  2. I am also for year-round school. It would be nice to take a vacation without the entire country trying to also go to the same place. And if Loudoun could get Fairfax on board, we could stagger breaks to help ease traffic a little.

    I am also an advocate of the high schools starting and getting out earlier and the elementary schools starting and getting out later. That way the big ones can start working part time jobs earlier (don't laugh- it HAS been known to happen in this county).
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  3. It'd also help for special ed. Without the long breaks, there wouldn't be as much regression and the district could save a bundle on ESY...
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  4. Eric tthe 1/2 trollJul 1, 2009 10:08 AM
    I'm sure the kids would love going to the beach in January....
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  5. This plan would be great for wealthier parents who have a parent at home or who can afford to take vacations off-season.

    What would children of working parents/single parents do during winter (or other season) breaks?
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  6. I would think that camps would be offered just like they are now. There are plenty of businesses whose whole purpose is to provide entertainment for the kiddies.
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  7. I'm inclined to agree. I like the idea of 3-week breaks between sessions all year round, especially if an intersession program were available for those that want/need it.
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  8. I just sent my boys to a sleep away camp in another part of the state. How on earth could kids have activities like this if other kids are not also off at the same time. Camps can not afford to accomodate thousands of different school years. Perhaps a better solution would be a slightly shorter summer break, with then a week off for Thanksgiving.
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  9. Last thing I heard, Loudoun County schools couldn't head back to school prior to Labor Day due to the "Kings Dominion" Law. If school isn't even allowed to start prior to Labor Day like it used to, then how do kids go to school year round?
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  10. A family member of mine (in another state) was very excited to have his children in year round schools. That is, until they ended up on different schedules.
    The camps and activities did not necessarily tie to the year round schedule which was a problem for working families.
    I am interested in how this would work in the high schools. Sports and other activities would obviously be impacted, but has anyone considered the implications for things like AP testing?
    Oh and by the way, as a parent of teens, I can assure that MANY Loudoun County teens do have jobs.
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  11. I'm also a huge fan and proponent of year-round school. I attended one for 3 years as a child and agree with @Ed Myers on his reasons.
    There is much to be gained here... And yes, teens can still keep their jobs. Looking forward to a longer discussion on this.
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  12. Yes Reduce the traffic to a greater extent.
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  13. Year round school would make so much more sense, saving money, making better use of our facilities, and all the other reasons John, Ed and others have mentioned.

    Camps, daycares, etc. would adapt in rapid order because they are market driven: if the kids were on vacation for three weeks in June, you'd find the majority of camps and activities would suddenly be scheduled in June as well. And if schedules were staggered from county to county as someone suggested, the camps probably wouldn't even have to change their schedules much, except that their "seasons" could be extended accordingly.

    Families with two working parents would do the same thing in January that they do now: be grateful for employers that allow flex scheduling, team up with family and friends for group babysitting, send the kids to daycare or to the camps that would be scheduled to accommodate the demand.

    Frankly, my budget would be happier because paying for adventure camps or Y camps etc. in 2 to 4 week increments would be easier than paying for them in 10 week chunks. (Every summer when paying for camps, I am reminded how lucky we are that our public schools do not charge tuition!)

    But for my 2 cents the single biggest benefit is one that no one else here has mentioned: the clear educational improvements.

    Without a single instructional day being added to the current requirement, students would learn and retain more in a 12 month schedule than they do now in a 10 month schedule. Any teacher can tell you they spend most of September through November reteaching everything the kids forgot during that 10 week hiatus when their biggest mental challenge was deciding whether to go swimming or watch SpongeBob reruns. And June is largely wasted too, as kids are so excited about summer that they can hardly make themselves pay attention in the classroom. So 4 of our 10 months of annual education are spectacular failures.

    With a year round schedule NCLB might even become moot in a few years; making AYP would become far easier, as test scores would reflect the more consistently retained education our teachers try so hard to impart.

    It's not something that could happen overnight. But if LCPS were to start now, working with parents and the community on a five-year plan, it could be successfully implemented.

    JOHN, I WISH YOU *WOULD* PUSH FOR IT.

    This is one bandwagon I would cheerfully jump on -- or help to push. Any significant cultural change like this would require extensive planning and community support, but I for one believe the return on investment would justify it.
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