I, like most other students, count down the days until winter break. However, the current structure of the school year calendar is not reaching its full potential.
This year, we have a three week period in between Thanksgiving break and winter break, and these weeks are virtually pointless.
It is hard for students and teachers to have motivation to get much of anything done in these few weeks. By the time we all get back to school, we’re already wanting to leave.
Not to mention, the fact that the cold weather causes some safety hazards and also increases the chance of students being absent due to illnesses.
I also have a hard time focusing on things like End of Course Exams, class finals, sporting events, and other activities all at once.
Additionally, because of the insanely short turnaround between the two breaks, teachers and staff are forced to jam the remainder of their curriculums and plans into a short span of time while also dealing with lower attendance rates and lack of student participation.
I think the best choice is to extend the break from Thanksgiving through to the New Year for students and teachers. This would mean that we wouldn’t go to school at all through the month of December.
I understand we can’t cut these three weeks out of the school year because it is necessary to reach a minimum number of school days to receive state funding.
However, there is a solution that would improve the school year’s flow and still meet these guidelines. I recommend we make summer break shorter to make up for the days we would have off in the winter. While upfront this sounds bad, I think it would ultimately be very beneficial.
The three month long summer vacation causes many students to experience a “summer slump,” which is the loss of academic skills and knowledge that can happen when high school students are on summer break.
This occurs because students don’t practice what they’ve learned during the previous school year, leading to decreased motivation and lower productivity at the start of the next school year.
Cutting summer break early would lessen the effects of this.
On top of the “summer slump,” many students get tired of summer by the time we reach the middle of August. So, I don’t think it would actually be that much of a disappointment. There would still be plenty of time for vacations, time with family and friends, and all the other summer activities we enjoy.
Overall, a change to the Springfield Public Schools District Calendar would benefit students, staff, and faculty, by providing a more productive and reliable learning environment.
