Discussion: School year length

I've started reading the Chronicles of Narnia. The only one I read as a kid was The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, so when I saw them in the children's section of the library last week I decided to read the whole series. So last night instead of writing a Q&A for Ask Moxie I was finishing up The Horse and His Boy. Sorry about that.

But it does give me the perfect chance to bring up something that's been bothering me for a few days. I found out that there are some school systems that started classes already for the fall last week. The first full week of August. And my immediate reaction was that that was immoral. (Yes, immoral. I think my co-workers thought that was a little hyperbolic, too.)

I feel like since kids don't choose to go to school, they shouldn't be forced to go for as many hours as adults can squeeze into the day and year. They should have a ton of downtime to think their own thoughts and control their own actions. Starting school so early in August just seems wrong to me, like the adults in charge think that without school the kids will be running wild. And I don't think having a longer year is really affecting how well kids learn. It's just giving teachers more time to teach to the standardized tests. (I can't imagine being excited to come back to work for that.)

I realize, of course, that some of this also has to do with financial and logistical pressures on parents. Since most families don't have an adult home full-time anymore, it's easier and cheaper to have kids in school as much of the year as possible. But I don't think that's good for kids. I'd rather have my kids in a daycamp playing games and running around than in school (which may not even have a single recess during the 6-hour school day, but that's a whole different issue entirely) for the summer. But daycamp costs money, and school is free. What choice can parents really make?

Yes, this is whole bundle of problems. Can we sort it out today in the comments section? What do you think about the expanding school year?

Comments

[hedra]

I'll have to catch up on the replies... but here is the result of a study on the academic differences between year-round and typical calendar schools in the US: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070811151449.htm

(Basically, no difference except for the most impoverished students - the 'brain loss' is just spread out instead of concentrated, and without adding more total days, there isn't additional learning time, either.)

[Virginia Gal]

It is wrong for school to start before Labor Day. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

There are a lot of things wrong with the public American system of schooling including standardized testing, the quantity of food available in the cafeterias, and spending on sports when other (subjectively more important) needs are not being met.

That said, I'm not a parent, but this is my opinion. I really hope it starts to get straightened out before I have kids because I really don't want to homeschool (not that I have anything against it) and would prefer not to spend the $ for private schools.

[kris]

I'm so glad you brought this up. Thank you!

I was just discussing the very same subject with another mom, today. And, I have to tell you that I too was completely appalled when I found out the kids at a local school have returned to school in AUGUST! not only is it too darned hot, but it's just sad to make them give up their much-needed kid-time in favor of what I consider far less important stuff.

I can't wait to read the comments.

[Emily]

I think that last comment is really important for kids living in warm (summer) climates, like they do in most of the united states. I live in Germany, and while I think in some respects that it will be nice to have my kids vacation time split up throughout the year here, there is NO comparison between the mildly warm August in Germany and the sweltering dog-days August I remember in Michigan (which is a northern state, so I don't even want to KNOW what August is like in Georgia). Plus, there's just something about having a really long block of time in the summer, so that you can get your bearings and start WANTING to go back. At the same time as I am glad that things will be more evenly spaced for my son, I have to admit I feel a twinge of sadness that he will only ever have six weeks of real summer break to wind down.

[Joceline]

I'm sure I'm probably repeating some things here, but...

In the school district where I used to teach in Arizona, school starts around August 8 (whatever Monday that is) and gets out May 25ish. We had four 9 week quarters, with a break in between each quarter (1 week in Oct, 2 weeks in Dec, 1 week in March). We still got the same length summer as anyone else with starting in August.

Also, in Arizona, it is so hot starting in April and continuing until October that it is nice to be in school when it is so hot and have a little more time off when the weather is beautiful (the rest of the year).

This is an entirely different debate, but I would refuse to teach in any district that did not give a break after each quarter. Those regular breaks made me a better teacher and a more sane person altogether.

[Claire]

As I am an Aussie, I have found this debate fascinating - I had no idea that you had such a long summer break from school.

Our schools all run to pretty much the same timetable, with slight differences between the different states, but the same overall teaching time. Christmas time is of course summer time, and school finishes for the year in the week before Christmas or slightly before. School starts again about 6 weeks later, at the start of Feb. There are 4 terms which are about 10 weeks long, with 2 weeks off between terms. The breaks happen at Easter time, July and September.

The fairly standard school day starts at 9am has a morning recess of about a half hour, and a lunch break of about an hour. School is over at around 3:30pm.

It is very hot at the end of the year and particularily when school starts back in Feb. Schools here in Oz mostly have uniforms, which include hats that must be worn when ever the kids are outside in summer. Many primary schools have play equipment that is covered by shade sails. Protecting skin from sun damage is a big deal here as we are quite close to the "hole" in the ozone layer - we have the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world . The average max temp in Melbourne (where I live), in Feb when school goes back is around 80 but is often closer to 90 and sometimes up to around 100 (I am coverting from Celcius). We of course have no "snow days" as we have no snow, but when a day is extremely hot, some parents keep their children at home.

We do not really have a tradition of camps during school breaks, but many local councils run "holiday programs" where school aged children do activities like crafts or outings during the day.

This school year works out well for the kids who are usually pretty tired towards the end of each term, and in need of a break.

[rebecca]

I would sooo love to still be a SAHM when junior is early school age... He's only 5 months old, so I'm still in the honeymoon of believing that I can take him to do all kinds of things and he'll like hanging out with mama.

Anyway. I'm not going to really side about length of time, but what I do remember about summers is that I was allowed (and it was safe) to be on my own quite a bit, and run around and ride my bike to the beach (6 miles) and do all those summer things. I don't know any parent that would, in 2007, allow their kids the freedoms I had. And for good reason. Does it matter that our kids will probably not have the same kind of summer "we" (doing that because I'm around 40 and probably an old lady to some of you) had?

I remember the color of summer. The feel of the air, the smell of summer mornings. School started when there was a tiny bit of dew on the spider webs that were built over night between the house and the bike shed.

I want my son to remember those details too.

Yes, I went to camp, it was sleepaway, and it was ONE week out of the summer. very cheap church camp. It was awesome.

[Jworkingmom]

I am 3/4 the way through "The World Is Flat" and I see year-round school as a good way for the U.S. to get back in the global-leadership game. Parents of mid-elementary school kids complain that they have too much homework. Schools aren't hiring people who specialize in subjects such as math and science as teachers because those people are in such short supply they can make a better living (both monetarily and quality of life/respect) in different careers. Make school year round and homework gets spread out over a longer period of time. Make school year round and maybe teaching will become more respected (perceived as a "real career") Teachers won't have to re-teach as much year after year. Let there be a two-week break in the fall, winter, spring and summer and let our kids compete on a global level.