Usually when a student hears the words ‘year-round school,’ it strikes terror into their hearts. Students hold onto their precious summer break with a tenacious grip.
However, what most students don’t understand is that year-round schooling is actually a good idea. With year-round schooling we still have a summer break, but we also have other ‘mini-breaks.’ We still go to school for a total of 180 days, but those days are broken up into smaller bits and pieces. If more students understood this concept of education, then more students would support it.
The basic plan for year-round school is that students will go to school 45 school days and then have 15 school days off.
When most students are asked about year-round school, they say they oppose it because there is only a ‘two- week summer.’ However, this is actually incorrect. On the traditional year-round school plan, the summer is six weeks long, which is much longer than two weeks. On the traditional plan, spring break and fall break would be extended to three weeks. Does that not sound better than the plan we are on now?
Students always complain about the length of the school and the burn-outs. Imagine this: if a runner was in a marathon, would the runner rather have more water breaks so that he is at his top performance? Or would he rather take one long water break, but then not be able to get back into his rhythm?
Another important argument for year-round school is the retention rates of the students. Countless students complain each year about how they cannot remember anything after the long summer break. However, year-round schooling eliminates this problem because the summer break is shorter, but not so short that students cannot relax.
The greatest argument against year-round school is the shortening of the summer break. Yes, the summer break has been cut in half. Yes, many students go to school and only think about summer break. What students need to remember, though, is that summer break is not non-existent, it is just shorter. Many students complain about how after the first month of summer they are bored. With year-round school, that issue is no longer a problem.
With a shorter summer vacation is the absence of summer school. This seemingly large problem has a rather simple solution. Just make the amount of time students go to summer school per day longer. Instead of going to summer school for four hours a day, go for six. This takes care of the problem.
Year-round schooling fits students’ desires and educational needs more than the traditional schedule. Contrary to popular belief, year-round school provides a six-week summer, not a two-week vacation. Year-round schooling does not increase the number of days in the school year. Instead, year-round schooling takes that long, sometimes boring summer break and spreads it out across the year.
More breaks are better than fewer breaks. And, you know what they say — all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy.
Editorial written by Jacob Bales and Everette Barr.
Editorial cartoon by Everette Barr.
Floyd Central Visionary 