Would you want the school system to change to a shorter summer vacation and instead switch to a longer winter break?

[Jayunit09]

We don't have Air Conditioning in our schools in my district in NH. So being out for the summer makes more sense. I also agree about teens being able to have summer jobs, attend summer camps being a big part of growing up and having fun.

Better to enjoy the the short 2 1/2-3 month window for "tropical" weather up here.

 

[barkley]

i don't know if it's still the case (maybe some current teachers on this thread can share) but when i was teaching we were required to do so many college credits per year of professional development coursework to maintain our credentials. the bulk of teachers tended to take these classes during the summer sessions at the local universities unless they enjoyed going late nights during the traditional school year for both the k-12's and the university. if this requirement is still in place how do teachers tend to work it around these non traditional school years (the universities used to purposely offer multiple courses during traditional summer break b/c it mirrored their summer session, can't see them offering ones that start/end outside their academic calendars)?

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm torn on this one. - I can see benefits and drawbacks to both schedules, as a parent and having worked in the schools for many years.

We all could use frequent breaks to prevent burnout, and travel would definitely be more flexible. But kids experience a ton of social-emotional growth over the long summers, and I would hesitate to give that up.

And for those asking what kids lose over the summer - it varies greatly, and it depends a lot on the home (or program) where they spend that break. The ones who sit in front of the TV or video games all summer slide back a lot. The ones who are read to, who explore nature, who are lucky enough to go on trips and outings, can actually gain ground over the summer.

 

[tcufrog]

Several years ago, the school district my sister teaches at decided to switch to a modified year-round schedule for a variety of reasons. The kids would still get a summer break but it would be shorter. They would also get a week off after every marking period (every 6 weeks) and a slightly longer winter break. The teachers were in favor of it because it gave them more time to grade and catch up between marking periods and lessened summer learning loss. The parents weren't happy so during the next school board election they elected reps that promised to go back to the traditional calendar.

During the year that the new calendar took place, the parents discovered that they loved it. Their kids still got a summer break but it wasn't so long that they started complaining about being bored. They also could take their kids on vacation during the off seasons when it was cheaper and less crowded. Child care didn't cost any more because the city rec centers and YMCAs coordinated with the district to offer fun and affordable week-long camps during the week-long breaks. The kids loved the more frequent breaks. They had fun but they weren't long enough for them to forget stuff.

This experiment only lasted a year though because the school board did as they promised and switched back to the traditional calendar the following year. My sister was disappointed when that happened because she thought the new calendar was much better for the teachers and students.

 

[notatallmagic]

No. I like the summer break for kids. Some need that extended break.

Great time for summer school - either remedial or getting ahead
Summer camps
Teens can get summer jobs.

Exactly. Both of my kids (and I) have/had full time summer jobs that are a huge part of paying for college. Kids here also have the option of summer school and college courses over the summer if they choose.

 

[Magical2017]

Love the longer summer breaks.

 

[JLTraveling]

What's the point of having time off from school if you get dragged to daycare instead? One of the reasons I work in education in our hometown is that I'd have pretty much the same days off as my kids. We didn't want to put them into daycare all summer, or during vacation weeks. We wanted them to be home, or playing with friends, or doing stuff in the area or even taking vacations Not sure what difference it makes for time off if the kid has to go to daycare.

Really? Some of my fondest memories are from summer day camp. Went to the same one from ages 5-11. It only ran through age 12, and I was absolutely gutted that I couldn't get in that year (different county, and county residents got first dibs). We spent our days swimming in the Olympic size pool, walking down to the roller rink and the bowling alley, going to the movies, playing kickball and shipwreck and shooting pool. I became the Pole Position champ when I was 10. Got my first kiss in the swimming pool from my first boyfriend when I was 11. We always took a week or two and went on vacation, but I wouldn't trade those days for the world.

 

[Caseheidi]

I would love to see year round school, with a 2-3 week break between each quarter. This summer break thing was set up when kids were needed to work the family farm in the summers. This does not apply to most families these days. And if we had small breaks a few times a year, they get enough time to do some vacations and get away, but don't lose the knowledge they have already received. I think it would also help with school employees having a full year of pay.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I've been thinking more about this, and another idea popped into my head. - What if we shortened the summer break a little and increased the winter one, and really separated the semesters - so first grade, for instance, would be broken down into 1A and 1B?

Unless a town was so small as to have only one class per grade, they could even start new classes during each semester, so kids could actually begin kindergarten just after they turn five, and we wouldn't have the need for "red-shirting" and the social readiness differences of kids in the same K class being almost a year apart in age.

Mostly, kids would move along with the same teacher for two semesters, finishing on the same schedule they do now - but for kids who are on the borderline of needing to repeat a grade, we would have the option of letting them switch to the other track and only repeat half of the grade to catch up. (The same could go for a kid who might have once been considered for skipping a grade, but for whom a whole year would be too much socially.)

I'm sure it would cause all sorts of issues I haven't thought of yet, so this is purely "discussion fodder" for fun and not an actual goal of mine right now or anything!

 

[mom2rtk]

Cool. Not everyone can or wants to work in education.
Sort of one of those things you have a calling for, or you don't. Ya know?
Plus, the world wouldn't function if everyone's job was education and nothing else, now would it?
We gotta have doctors, nurses, brick layers, yada yada yada

I didn’t have a calling for that at all. But I took a different path and a big pay cut specifically to have the flexibility to be there most of the time they were off.

 

[mjkacmom]

I wonder how it would work for school sports. We have about 600 school districts in NJ, most are basically on the same schedule with school breaks.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I wonder how it would work for school sports. We have about 600 school districts in NJ, most are basically on the same schedule with school breaks.

Around here sports operate with or without schools being in session. Breaks don't stop sports.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

We would love to cut summer a bit shorter and have a 1-2 week fall break, 2+ week winter break, 1-2 week spring break. Would also prefer if the entire week of Thanksgiving was off (it's really hard to travel to visit family with just 3 days off and everyone trying to go then too!), and some of the single day holidays - like Veteran's Day, President's Day - I would like to see the teacher workdays adjacent to those in order to make a longer long weekend out of it.

We were in year round through elementary school here and I liked that, but there were 4 separate schedules so kids were not all out together. We also had almost no summer, so friends and relatives on traditional school calendars never matched up with us. I would prefer the modified calendar so we would still have some summer time, and also have the whole school on that schedule instead of everyone staggered.

It is hot and humid in the summer here so my kids aren't outside a lot in the summer anyway. I would rather be able to take some vacations at other times of the year when the weather is more pleasant.

 

[Colleen27]

I wonder how it would work for school sports. We have about 600 school districts in NJ, most are basically on the same schedule with school breaks.

Are they? I'd love that, but it isn't that way here. Sports here started Aug. 8; school starts Sept. 6. So the whole last month of summer is not really a break for kids who are involved in fall athletics. Spring break isn't a break for kids involved in spring sports either. When DD21 was a freshman in high school I accidentally got her in hot water with her softball coach by thinking we could go away for spring break. Turns out the two first games of the season were that week. And mid-winter break, which is just a four- or five-day weekend for schools around here, was like a mini-camp for softball, with the coach taking advantage of the days off to have longer practices than she could book on school days. It seems like Christmas break is the only one that is off-limits for sports, though I might just not be aware of any overlap because I haven't ever had a kid on a winter sports team at the high school level.

 

[Minniesgal]

Would you want the school system to change to a shorter summer vacation and instead switch to a longer winter break? I’m curious if that would help the academic skills of students and help them retain knowledge better. Thoughts?

No absolutely not. Not good for pupils who need to be out playing in the summer. Not good for families who will need to find more money to heat the homes over winter. Not good for schools which are frankly unbearable May and June unless they have air conditioning

 

[DisneyOma]

I wonder how it would work for school sports. We have about 600 school districts in NJ, most are basically on the same schedule with school breaks.

They should just take the school out of the sports business to begin with, IMO. Why should tax dollars be paid to subsidize a few sports? My kids did non-school sports, we paid out of pocket for all of it, from summer soccer and softball to dance, gymnastics and ice skating. Was always tempted to submit a "bill" at the school committee budget meetings! Why pay for hockey but not synchronized skating?

 

[Mrs.AMC]

They should just take the school out of the sports business to begin with, IMO. Why should tax dollars be paid to subsidize a few sports? My kids did non-school sports, we paid out of pocket for all of it, from summer soccer and softball to dance, gymnastics and ice skating. Was always tempted to submit a "bill" at the school committee budget meetings! Why pay for hockey but not synchronized skating?

You do realize that parents pay for their child(ren) to participate in school sports, and other activities, do you not?

 

[barkley]

You do realize that parents pay for their child(ren) to participate in school sports, and other activities, do you not?

not everywhere. my state passed a newer law that strictly regulates charging for anything related to optional, non-credit extracurricular events that are cultural, social, recreational, or athletic in nature. this extends to including the family members of students who are playing in sports that traditionally charge an admission fee to view your student. the goal is to remove barriers to student participation and consider policies that further reduce obstacles to participation (like team fees, uniform fees...all the stuff that just keeps adding up).

 

[sam_gordon]

It seems like Christmas break is the only one that is off-limits for sports, though I might just not be aware of any overlap because I haven't ever had a kid on a winter sports team at the high school level.

When DS was in 8th grade, he was on the middle school basketball team. We told the coach at the beginning of the season (October?) that DS would be out of town between Christmas and NY for a club soccer tournament (in Disney not that it matters). The week before the break, the coach called a MANDATORY practice the day after Christmas. Obviously DS couldn't attend, and we told the coach so.

When we returned from the break, DS had to sit out at least one game (if not two, can't remember for sure) for missing the MANDATORY practice that was called the week before Christmas break.

So yes, I would be surprised if basketball and other winter sports didn't have some practices if not games during the winter break.

 

[luv2cheer92]

You do realize that parents pay for their child(ren) to participate in school sports, and other activities, do you not?

We never paid anything at all for school sports.