I get it. Long summer breaks lead to retention issues in the schools. Teachers have to spend weeks teaching what the kids learned the previous spring. School grades and administrator and teacher evaluations depend on the students getting up to speed. I don't care. August 1 is too early to head back to school.
When I reflect on my youth almost every happy memory is from the summer: vacations, bike rides, cruising, swimming, summer camp, baseball, drive-in movies. Many years we did not go to summer camp until August. The Little League World Series and the State Fair haven't even happened yet.This year we have had such a wet and cool summer I bet the kids feel like they never even had a break.
It is important our kids get an education. They also need time to be kids.
Kids?
ReplyDeleteThere's no time for that nonsense!
Train them early for that gerbil wheel.
Amen, Joe, Amen.
ReplyDeleteIf they'd stop taking all those "professional" "development" days, they could start after Labor Day and still have plenty left over for snow days.
ReplyDeleteI also hate the so-called "balanced" schedules. Screw that crap, a kid needs time to be a kid. Except in Progressiveworld.
We have no " professional development" days. All new info we get is emailed to us, delivered to us after school, attend workshops individually during school and get a sub, (pain in the $&@), or go to workshops in the summer. I will agree with you on the balanced schedules. They suck!
ReplyDeleteRight with you, as always, Joe. We always started school in Sept and out the 1st week of June. Snow days and all. Here now, they start back before the county fair. Which is really unfair (pun possibly intended) to all those kids who usually spend the week there learning about things not taught in school, but just as educational.
ReplyDeleteTeach,
ReplyDeleteWhy are there so many shortened weeks, then?
180 days is what the state requires and school corps carve up the way they want with input from admin, teachers, teacher's union, parents and business leaders.
ReplyDeleteShort weeks usually are result of holidays or breaks,(fall and spring). Some corps add snow days into schedule, (we do),to keep from having to go to school in June,(we almost did anyway).