Is it time for a longer school year?
As the school year winds down, the Vancouver School Board has announced that it will drop 10 classroom days from the 2010-2011 school year to help balance an $18-million shortfall.
Five days will be added to the existing spring break in March, and an extra five will be sprinkled throughout the year. Students will actually spend the same number of minutes in the classroom but will face longer school days to make up the time.
In other jurisdictions, however, students could actually see their summer breaks slashed and their academic year stretched. Kids in Hawaii, for instance, the U.S. state with the shortest school year by far, will soon be staying in class a lot longer.
The state's public school year had been 180 days until recently, when a shrinking state budget led to teacher furloughs that closed schools on 17 of those days this year. Starting next year, however, the required number of annual instructional days will ramp up to 190 – pretty much the norm in Canada’s public system.
But even that’s not enough, critics argue, maintaining that the September-to-June school year is an anachronism dating back to an agriculture-based economy where children were needed to work on the farms after school and during the summer.
Their preferred alternative calendar divides the year into quarters, with two-week breaks about every two-and-a-half months. The result would be about a 10-12% boost in learning time overall.
Sure, it costs money to keep schools open longer, proponents admit, but it’s the best way to compete in a knowledge-based global economy.
What do you think: Time to add a couple of weeks to the school calendar? Are shorter terms punctuated by short breaks worth the additional cost?
By Gordon Powers, MSN Money
Posted by: Suggestions and Concerned Tax Pay | Jun 14, 2021 10:28:17 AM
Yes, its about time for reform. Two week periods in March and every other two to three months is justified and shorter summer breaks too. Extra days during the summer with one month off would be great to see.
Unemployed substitute or temporary teachers can be hired to help during the summer months and during longer regular school days, therefore, the full-time teachers can be negotiating for long term contracts, discussing and implementing changes, etc for the next school year.
Glad to see 4 year olds starting earlier, but it should be left up to parents if full days are required, however,
must be mentioned when enrolled. Furthermore, if viable, the school system must be flexible and to fill the void to give other parents wishing to send children only for half days. Either, morning and the other half in afternoon classes.
Temporary teachers could and are qualified to to handle 4 year old full-time or half-day classes.
Sending 4 year olds will cut down on child care expenses as well.
Posted by: Wayne Dailey | Jun 14, 2021 10:53:35 AM
"Sending 4 year olds will cut down on child care expenses as well."
For whom? This expense will have to be paid by someone. Education taxes will be raised. Most schools are not air conditioned. Who is going to pay for that conversion? You will. Perhaps we will have to charge tuition during the summer months. And of course parents will have to pay for child care during the one or two week breaks during the year.
Posted by: G Harvey | Jun 14, 2021 1:53:35 PM
This would not be a good solution. It may be okay where the weather is good. That the kids could still go out and play outside and get some sun. If you take away our summers, my kids would be absent from school, because we enjoy our summer holidays. The kids would not get enought Vitamin D from the sun. I work at an elementary school, and in June when we finally maybe get some weather, most kids cannot barely function, not that the adults can either. We are ready for a summer break, not a winter break.
Plus some people would not get to see their families, as that is the only time to go. Oh well, it is only school, take them out for the month. That will be the attitude. We need more holidays, not less!
Also, the kids that take a full time job for part of the summer will not be able to. Oh well, there goes the college fund.
Posted by: Samantha | Jun 14, 2021 3:53:08 PM
I think kids should go to school year-round. 2 weeks at Christmas, 2 weeks in the spring and a month of summer holidays. Done. Less child care for the parents, less space between learning for the kids and teachers have full employment all year round.
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Posted by: Jess | Jun 15, 2021 3:09:51 AM
I currently teach in Japan and the schools here run all year round with two to four week holidays spread throughout the school year. As a teacher, I prefer having the summer off, two months. I know many people think teachers get enough holidays, but as a teacher, I can tell you that we are not like the rest of you in that we can select when we want to take holidays. We are your kids baby sitters and I know for a fact that in most cases, its the people who complain about teachers getting the summers off have the kids with the worst behaviour. You don't like teachers or respect what we do so you treat us like garbage and always take your kids side of the story when trouble is made at school. The truth of the matter is that you do such a crappy job at parenting your own kid that you want them to spend time away from you. Then you blame the teachers for their poor behaviour. Anyways, I just think that we need holidays to take professional development courses so we are more trained to look after your kids that have behaviour problems.
Posted by: Canadian | Jun 15, 2021 4:21:05 AM
The last thing we need is to eliminate summers off. In Canada, there is very little time where we can get a good dose of much needed sun and outdoor activity (where we aren't freezing half to death). It has been proven that Canadians suffer from mental illness more than normal because of vitamin D depletion and SAD. Cooping developing children up in classrooms when they should be outside enjoying what little nice weather we get is an awful idea.
Not to mention, as someone already mentioned, the schools would need to be equipped with air conditioning which costs money. Running the schools and paying the increased salaries that would accompany would also cost a lot of money. In case anyone hasn't noticed, we have been making cuts to the education sector because there simply isn't enough money to go around. Extending school into the summer months would most certainly not remedy this problem.
Personally, I think the system currently in place works quite nicely and really doesn't need to be adapted.
Posted by: Steve | Jun 15, 2021 4:44:43 AM
I personally dont think kids need to spend more time in school as lets not forget they are kids.If you force children to spend their youth in a classroom when do they get to have fun and exercise ? Put your personal and selfish reasons aside and let them be kids. Schools are not daycare and should not be treated as such. As for the teachewrs comments about parents and problem children I think you are in the wrong line of work and am glad you will never teach my children.
Posted by: Heather | Jun 15, 2021 5:06:53 AM
My children LIVE for the summer break... My 11 year old Autistic son is concerned that almost everyone around him is stupid, I have tried to defend you people long enough but I am afraid he is swaying me to believe it! We are well into June and I can count on one hand how many sunny days we have had, what is the point of living in Canada if our children cannot enjoy the space this country affords us??? At our age the fascination of exploration turns mostly into complaints over logistics... at least for those of us that have children. We still want our children to have all the fun we had. I look back fondly on my mom and dad fighting over every detail before,during and after our holidays (especially the travel), knowing my parents loved my brother and I enough to go through it year after year after year. I know my husband and I would like to provide that entertainment and show that dedication to our children. Break the school year down, less parents will be able to get holidays when their children have theirs because "seasonal replacements" just won't be practical.
Posted by: Zakimar | Jun 15, 2021 6:27:39 AM
Whenever I see young children coming from China, India, almost anywhere in Asia or the Middle East, they are so far ahead of Canadian children of even several grades older. By grade three in India, the children can multiply to 15 in their heads and speak at least three languages - and not a useless one like French.
Posted by: Lisa | Jun 15, 2021 7:11:08 AM
Yes, Zakimar, I agree with you. To Jess, I also agree with you. Children aren't parented anymore and should be. However, some parents I talk to don't discipline because they are afraid of getting in trouble with the law. Would it be the same for teachers?? So, what's happening now...noone is disciplining because NOONE wants trouble. We're in a really bad cycle right now.
Incidentally, I also heard recently that the only part of society where crime is NOT going down, is with our youth. I wonder why that is? (sarcastic comment.)
Posted by: all canadian | Jun 15, 2021 7:19:09 AM
well Zakimar,, good for them,, and in china you can only have one girl so how stupid is that!, kids need a break they need there summer holidays! keep pushing kids to be a school all year round and the drop out rate will probably go straight through the roof! its not a good idea at all, kids need to be kids and you need family time aswell. they are not robots they are human beings,
Posted by: Lisa | Jun 15, 2021 8:12:57 AM
"all canadian"...the BIG difference between our culture and China is our morals and our priorities. I am friends with chinese and I actually believe they live "healthier" spiritual lives than most north americans I know. Their families ARE first and good healthy hard work is second. Do you know that North America WAS like that 30 years ago--probably more??
Is OUR way better now where we believe in "love"...and the divorce rate is about 50%. Doesn't that mean North America is doing something wrong?? Maybe we need to take some lessons.
Posted by: Steve | Jun 15, 2021 8:37:55 AM
It is nice that Jess knows the profile of everyone who is in favour of year round schooling. Though, more likely it indicates why Jess needs so many PD days to catch up with competent teachers. If we believe that teacher are positive, surely more time with them will help children, leading to lower crime figures and better employee's? Schools cost money yes, but what is the societal cost of people taking time out of careers or paying for individual day care. If parents are exclusively paying that fee then that money will not be available for the massive crush of Pensioners just about to sign up (perhaps we should also think about that HUGE liability). As a parent of 3 children who are in school, (2 top of the class, 1 middle of the class) I think that year round schooling, no homework and classes on play, work/life balance, environment maintenance and entrepreneurship would be hugely beneficial to the society as a whole (even to people who don't want to pay for the development of the countries future).
Posted by: Guy is White Collar | Jun 15, 2021 8:50:42 AM
While education for our kids is priority number one here, there are many other logistic implications of not having the current 2 month break that would affect our society. I won't delve into all of them as I can write a book. Firstly, the school year would then likely offer 4 different weeks where time off will be scheduled. This will become very problematic with families all wanting the same week off to spend with family. Employers now have difficulty allocating summer weeks off to famlies and they have 8 weeks to choose from. They are at a premium now. We all know how hectic March Break can be for those who can afford to travel, imagine now that you have 4 of those weeks since 8 weeks will be combined into 4 on top of March Break. Secondly, what about all those summer attractions where they depend heavily on those 8 weeks of family activities. They would now be non-existent. The likes of Canada Wonderland, Niagara Falls Attractions, Summer Camps..... they could not be profitable enough to simply open 1 week in the summer and on weekends. THat would eliminate jobs and more importantly, that fun-activity that students/kids crave. It is a reward for these kids for working so hard at school. Can you also imagine if the school year allocated 1-2 weeks in the summer. These weeks would be chaos everywhere in terms of travel. Let's add more stress to our society!
Lastly, the majority of people like to bash Teachers. (Not me). However, this profession might now not be as "Rosy" to get into anymore by taking away more vacation perks. The pool of teachers will likelydiminish where it will create even more concerns of the quality of teachers. I can't imagine how bad these blogs would then be for the Teacher Bashers! I cringe just thinking about it.
Posted by: Cory | Jun 15, 2021 8:55:08 AM
Responding to Steve:
"I personally dont think kids need to spend more time in school as lets not forget they are kids.If you force children to spend their youth in a classroom when do they get to have fun and exercise ? Put your personal and selfish reasons aside and let them be kids. Schools are not daycare and should not be treated as such. As for the teachewrs comments about parents and problem children I think you are in the wrong line of work and am glad you will never teach my children."
Spot on re: kids are kids. In an effort to "educate" our youth we are beginning formal education earlier and earlier. Any child's best educator is their parent(s). Family dynamics and the social expectation of $$$ meaning success drives many of us to be busier than we should be and our families are taking a backseat. If parents parent, teachers teach, and kids can be kids, the system would work. Removing summer break for kids (and families) would be ridiculous!
As for the teacher's comments, while I do not condone them I can certainly see their point and hopefully they are speaking out of frustration as opposed to belief. Having worked in a school many students successes or failures have already been determined by their homelife and these "bad apples" demand a lot of time and resources from teachers and administrators that could be used to benefit your kids. Anyone visit a school lately? It's not like it was even ten years ago. Families need time together in the good summer weather, educators need a break from being teachers, mentors, parents, police, detectives, counsellors, mediators, friends, .... basically everything. Cheers all.
Posted by: Canadian | Jun 15, 2021 6:02:30 PM
To the people who think being a teacher is a "rosy" job... you seriously need a massive wake up call. Have you ever had a moment where you were stressed out with just 1 or 2 kids misbehaving? Try 30 - 40 all in the same room when you have an obligation to make sure they pass their tests. When, if the kids misbehave too much, your job is on the line. More and more disrespectful kids telling you to "f*** off", kicking, screaming, not wanting to cooperate no matter what you do. You can't do much to discipline, and the stuff you can do often makes you as a teacher look bad, or the kids just don't care.
Kids who have learning disabilities but because parents don't want them "to be treated differently" are lumped into the same classrooms as everyone else and they struggle and fall behind. Many act out as a result. A teacher cannot cater to 30-40 kids individually.
Then there is lesson planning, marking, organizing, test making... this cuts into home time. It's like homework for the teacher. They don't just work 8-3. They go home and work all evening and weekend too.
If you have a hard time with a few kids when they are running around being insolent, multiply that by 10, add on the stress of knowing you need to perform well on the job, always being under the scrutiny of other teachers, administrators and parents, and often not getting the cooperation of the kids or their parents. That is just the tip of the iceberg.
Teachers are way under-appreciated in our society, and WAY too much responsibility is placed on their shoulders. They are expected to make up for poor parenting, work miracles, spread themselves so thin they are worn out and are often the ones looked to when the students aren't doing well, when most of the time, it has nothing to do with the teacher.
Taking away their MUCH NEEDED break is a terrible idea. I know that a lot of teachers are on the brink of mental break downs already... we do not need to add to this.
As for the person comparing North American children and children from Asia in terms of intelligence - any sociological study on the matter will show you that this is due primarily to cultural differences and not educational ones. Parents in China, India etc. are VERY involved with their children's learning. There is a lot of expectation on the child by the parents to perform well, and a lot of pressure from society too. Watch the documentary "Spellbound" and you will be able to see this for yourself. If we want our kids to perform better, we as parents need to get involved - education shouldn't stop when the school bell rings. Sadly, this isn't likely to happen.
Posted by: Canadian Too | Jun 15, 2021 6:39:19 PM
If teaching is such a horrible profession why do so many people go into it, and why do so many teachers stay in it long enough to collect a full pension?
If the funding was attached to the children, not the school board and year round schools could compete with 'traditional' schools for pupils, what do we think the outcome might be?
Just saying...
Posted by: Canadian | Jun 15, 2021 7:14:04 PM
Don't get me wrong... teaching has a lot of rewards as well. I am just saying, there are a lot of people who bag on teachers and don't realize that it is a really tough job. It isn't all sunshine and bunnies.
Personally, I love teaching children because I find being with children invigorating and enlightening. I like the feeling that I am helping them, and that for many of them, being able to confide in me and trust in me is a comfort to them. Seeing their eyes light up when they figure something out, or watching them be fascinated with the little things that we so often forget as we get older.
Like I said, there are a lot of things that are great about teaching, but it isn't easy. There is a lot of responsibility, stress and aggravation that comes along with it too, and a lot of people don't see that and instead focus on the fact that teachers get summers off. This of course implies that being a teacher is super easy and they have no right to complain and should suck it up and just lose their summers off.
If parents chose to pay to put their kids into year round schools, that would suggest that the children are not coming from low income families who are suffering, probably have more educated parents, and as a result, would have more expectation put on them to perform better and work harder. Naturally, they would come out as "smarter" than your average kid, but you can't chalk that up to the duration they are in school. A lot of other factors are involved, and a huge contributor to student success is parent involvement and high expectations placed on the child from outside sources (parents, family, society, social groups etc.)
Again, Sociological studies have proven this. I strongly recommend watching the documentary Spellbound because it illustrates my point quite nicely. You can find it online somewhere.
Posted by: Shan | Jun 16, 2021 2:48:10 PM
Zakimar, what is wrong with the French Language? Afterall is is ONE of Canada's TWO official languages.
I work in employment counselling. Children NEED to be in school for longer periods of time to make up for our declining economy. Soon, you wont be able to work at McDonalds without a University Degree.
The more education the children have, the better. Even if it means all year schooling. It just means the parents would have to take vacations accordingly. Its not hard.