Do you think Summer Vacation and the school year should be reorganized so our children have a happier summer?

Question

Here's my plan- Vacation ends when summer ends- September 21st. Summer book reports and homework are terminated for all grades except college. When school begins, students should be given sick and vacation days. They should be taught to use them wisely in order to prepare for real life. They would be given to 7th graders through High school, then stopped in college. Every school should also be off on Friday. Finally, there should be a HR office in which students can report bullying. This will loosen up the work load for the principal.

Going to school all year round? I think not. That like saying " Let's see how much we can stress our children out! HAHA!"

Answer 1

Wow, a fellow parent who agrees of, teaching our kids some responsibility but also allowing them to be kids!!!! That is lost in our educational system now...........I am here day in and day out, with our 3, and to see how much it has even changed since they began school, especially on the secondary education level, is disgusting if you ask me! There is so much pressure, so much stress, stress is in life but to the degree to which they have to see it and handle it, at their ages? I think from the head of Education on down, needs to come into the schools, and see what is not working, and the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IS MORE LIKE LEAVE A CHILD BEHIND ACT if your kid is not average or above average!!!! It is just more federal and state pressure and for what? For the sake of our kid's sanity? Teachers now teach to tests, not to each individual child and let them be who they are, if they are artistic, music-oriented, or they are mathematically great, encourage that, put courses in for all to thrive!!!! Not to state mandated tests that woah, here's a thought, if a kid has a bad day? Having problems at home or with friends, etc? THEY DON'T DO WELL!!! Who would? Yep, better leave 'em back or put them in the slower classes as they didn't score well, doesn't look good for the schools ya know? OH PLEEEEEEEEASE!! Tell me you are an administrator, and you can do something. Keep up the fight!! We all need to, as caring, responsible advocates as parents for our kids!!!! They are our future and you know what I am seeing? Kids that are burnt out of school, all of it even before they reach high school nowadays!!!! I do what I can but I think we all need to speak up, speak out.........one person and one person, makes a group, and so on.....good luck!Sounds like you sure are in touch with kids and what is going on in the real world wherever you live! I love your plan, now get going and get 'er done!!! : )

Answer 2

Since the warm weather never ends in some states, don't you think they'd be happier if they never had to go?

And freedom from school, if Mom and Dad are both working all day, means either day care or no care. School might be more profitable for everyone than that -- except for us day care providers!

Children don't need sick or vacation days, they need only a note from parents. Parents should decide when they need to stay home, not kids. Some absences will not be excused, however.

School IS "real life." I do agree, however, that vacation is vacation, and no assignments should be given. Those kids who love books don't need a summer reading list, and those that hate books won't read them anyway. (I've seen too many, "Can you tell me about this book? It was my summer reading project." questions here.)

In the United States, at least, bullying is quite a problem. I hardly think that the "zero tolerance" and having children arrested for a schoolyard scrap is the answer, but I sure don't know what is. In some schools, there are so many cultural attitudes at play regarding how kids should work out differences that I can't imagine how to solve the problem. Considering that some kids are being bullied at home, or watching dad beat up mom, or the other way around, I just can't figure out how a school can really fix it. Sheesh, bullying is a question all its own.

An aside to Laurie,

Without meaning to hurt feelings, teaching to individual talents is a great idea, but unless your kids are being taught some basic writing skills (testable), they won't be able to convince anyone any better than you will.

Answer 3

Having seen 3 children through grades K-12, I have to disagree with you about extending summer vacation into Sept. By mid-August, every year, my kids were showing evidence of being ready to go back to school. They were ready for a more structured environment. Sure, they enjoyed the carefree days of summer. And they needed a break from school, but 3 months is excessive!

I think that having a book report, or some other kind of school work, over the summer helps keep their brains free of cobwebs and may lessen the need for remedial work at the beginning of the school year.

I also don't agree with your sick/vacation days idea. When kids miss school they miss out on a lot of work, homework, etc. This only serves to create more stress, not less. The same goes for your "off on Friday" idea. They have to cram so much learning into 5 days, 4 days just wouldn't be enough. And the way society is advancing they have more and more to learn, not less.

I do think schools need a better mechanism for dealing with bullying and disruptive students. In-school suspension. If they have to sit in a room all day with nothing to do, perhaps they'll think twice about misbehaving again. If you suspend them and they are "home," they can have a lot of fun and don't learn anything.

Answer 4

I think that the kids should be going to school for the whole year, including the summer. They should not have Fridays off. No sick days or vacation days are needed because unless you miss too many days of school you will not be penalized. And besides that, the kids have too many days off during the year anyway. But I do think that there should be another outlet for the children to report issues. The principal is not always available and doesn't have the time to deal with all those issues.

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Oh please, you must either be someone in school or not a parent. You do realize that at this time, school is open HALF, exactly HALF, the year and you want to extend that? Like I said, kids have too much time off during the year. Everything about your 'plan' is asinine except the lightening up the load from the principal.

Answer 5

Agree with most of this. I think they should go to school Monday through Friday (as you said, in preparation for real life). But I think summer break should be from June 1st to September 1st (roughly) at a minimum. Summer vacation gets shorter & shorter, mostly for working parents so they are not too stressed out arranging babysitters. Who does that benefit? Kids are kids, not little adults. They need some down time to learn, explore, & grow outside of the rigid struture of school, to find their individuality & indepenence. People need to be reminded that this is what's important - not saving a few bucks on childcare costs.

Answer 6

Young whippersnapper, I remember those days fondly! We went on hikes, quadding, rode bikes, drew on the sidewalk, drove jet skis, shot things with rifles, had races, played baseball, soccer, cricket, football, rugby, basketball, climbed trees, and built forts. You kids with your iPhones and Playstations don't know what you're missing out on - fresh air, exercise, and good old fashioned fun! I was born in 1969, so was 14 years old 30 years ago.

Answer 7

that would be cool. i think that schools need to start later and get out later, because nothing is really getting done in classes at 7:30

Answer 8

I think school should be all year around. Parents need to work every day. Vacation days should be given to each student to take whenever it's convenient for the parents to take off work...)(

Answer 9

yup

Answer 10

are you crazy????