Moms Talk: All-Year-Round School
Elementary school in Lake Orion is trying it out. Should we?
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As the school year draws to a close, both kids and parents are starting to look forward to a long, hot summer filled with days at the beach, summer camps and vacations with family. One elementary school in Michigan, however, isn’t anticipating as long of a vacation as the rest of us. Carpenter Elementary School students in Lake Orion attend an all-year-round school. They are also part of a district discussing whether to make all the schools in that community year-round, according to an article in The Oakland Press. They would be the first in Michigan to do so.
The former kid inside me instantly rebels at this idea since some of my favorite memories come from summertime. As a responsible adult, however, I am torn as I listen to the arguments from each side. At this point, I still remain undecided on where I would stand if this choice ever came to Hartland.
Thinking of the months to come, I am looking forward to spending time with my kids, being lazy by the pool or movie dates on a rainy afternoon. The mother in me wants them to stay young for as long as possible and enjoy these simple kid moments that always seem to be gone too soon.
I also, however, want what is best for my children and according to the article, students in the third, fourth and fifth grades at Carpenter Elementary scored higher in statewide assessments than any other school in the Lake Orion school district. And since the logical part of me understands that the Carpenter students go the same amount of days as everyone else and that it’s just the breaks that are spread out over the course of the year, I know that summer won't be completely lost forever.
But are we really ready to take away summertime? And do the shorter, just more often breaks really help the kids?
So, the question is, is it time for a change like this to our educational system? Do year-round schools work? Do they make sense? Could they be the solution we’re looking for to so many of our problems or are we potentially just making more?
Moms Talk is a weekly forum in which we hope moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community can have a place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic.
Tatum L. Ryan
1:35 pm on Wednesday, June 1, 2011
One argument that I heard against year-round schools actually came from a teacher who said the longer breaks would be harmful to the students information retention instead of beneficial. This teachers' argument was based on the fact that in the fall, teachers spend much of their day going over concepts and ideas that were taught the following year since kids forget so much over summer. This theory of year-round schools is meant to prevent that loss of information, but what I heard from this teacher is that more breaks would actually make this problem worse in her opinion. With longer breaks every few weeks, teacher will be re-teaching same information more often and fighting to get the students back in a "learning" mode coming off of so many breaks.
Tatum L. Ryan
1:43 pm on Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Some studies seem to support this claim , a report from 2007 in the Science Daily says that the only students who seems to benefit from year-round schools were underprivileged students who seemed to score higher in some areas, but overall, the results were about the same for students in year-round vs. traditional nine-month classrooms. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070811151449.htm
Heidi
2:30 pm on Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Even the occasional 3-4 day weekend can throw a schedule off.
It seems it would be beneficial to do more studies on the learning experience and how much is both digested and retained before turning lives upside down from what most of us have known our entire lives. While the families that do have students in school year round are fine with the scheduling, it seems the actual change could be the biggest hurdle. Change is tough on all of us, especially when it means changing what you've known an entire lifetime. Now, on another hand, while it may be a tradition having summers off, it is a short window of opportunity for Michiganders to actually enjoy the outdoors, pools, lakes, etc. We all know winter cold can last 4-5 months and for the snow sports snow can be produced. But warm and dry weather, those days are limited. And the cooling bills vs. heating bills, consider the financial differences there as well from a budgetary standpoint. There are so many variables to consider and I don't seem to be picking up on any true answers as to what would truly be best in the long run.
Lori
1:52 pm on Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Hi Tatum,
Well I'm sure that they do work. However, I'm with you I don't know if I want my children to have to give up thier summer break. As a child summer break was the best. I really wonder if the kids would be less attentive in class during the summer months ? I know for me it would be very hard to stay focused in a classroom when it's so nice outside. I would like to if they track that? That is something I would like to know. I also don't know if I want my kids inside all day when it's so beautiful outside. Maybe if our summer weather was longer I wouldn't question weather or not our kids would be less attentive during nice weather but summer in Mi is so short I think we all just want to be outside as much as possible. Interesting, I'm not sure if I would support this.
Lori
Tatum L. Ryan
1:58 pm on Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Good point, Lori! Nice weather in Michigan is in short supply so I know that when it is warm and sunny out, I am pushing my kids outdoors. They need that physical activity and sunshine that during our long winters just isn't possible. I think maybe you are right that if we lived down South or out West where warm weather is more typical, I wouldn't be so concerned with my kids being stuck inside for any amount of time during those three months. But we live in Michigan where it just started to warm up and it is now June. As soon as the last dy of school hits, my kids will be riding bikes, swimming in the pool, playing at the beach and just being outside. Just that alone is important to me as well.
brandon
5:04 pm on Friday, June 3, 2011
ya ya cry me a river life is horribal and wat do you think about year round school i hate it i hate school.
Terry
7:54 am on Saturday, June 4, 2011
Year around schools mean that it is the state that is raising the children--not the parents, which is one of the goals of Marxism. If that's what you want, I am sorry for you.
Heidi
8:28 am on Saturday, June 4, 2011
I'm curious why you say it then becomes the state raising the children and not the parents. Year round school would still give the same amount of classroom time. The typical 11 week summer break would not go away, it would merely be dispersed throughout the year. Teaching styles would remain the same, just spread over a 12 month period with more longer breaks rather than 9 months with only a few long breaks.
Cortney Switzer
1:32 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I think all year round school is what is best or our children. It limits wasted review nonsense at the beginning of every school year... It puts them further ahead academically....