My kiddos have been attending a
year-round education school for a few years now. A typical year at their school
runs from the last week of July to mid to the end of June. Their summer breaks
are usually about four to five weeks long, give or take a week and several
other short weeks throughout the year. They also have extended days, which
means that a normal day for them is longer than a regular eight hour work day
for me.
Their school didn’t always have a
year-round schedule; they went from typical school hours to a full calendar
schedule about five years ago. Since then, I have been approached by many of
my friends with soon-to-be school aged children, asking me what my thoughts are on year-round education, so I've decided to come up
with a list of the pros and cons I have personally encountered
as a year-round education Mom.
So here it is...
Pros
1. Improved academic achievement and
retention of the curriculum
Because
the kids do not have a break that lasts longer than four weeks at a time, I
have seen great improvement in my kids’ grades. One of my boys always had a
hard time catching up after the long summer school vacation (especially with
math) but ever since the school adapted the year-round schedule I haven’t seen
him struggle like he used to. He still struggles, but he grasps the subject a
lot quicker now than when he used to have a long break. His grades and standardized
testing scores show how much he has improved!
2. College Week!
YES, College Week is a thing at
my kids’ school! the first week of school the kids spend it at one of several
colleges located in my city, learning about the opportunities available to them
when it’s time for them to graduate and attend college; this includes doing hands
on activities at the science labs! Although this is not an option in every school, I had to add it to this list because it is definitely the kids’ favorite time of the year!
3. Good schedule
for working parents
On school days the kids get out at 4:15. If they take the bus home they will be arriving around 4:50. Leaving work at 4:30, that allowed me just enough time to get to the bus stop and pick them up. Boom! - no sitter needed! I loved the schedule the most for the very reason that I could drop off and pick up the kids without relying on others.
4. Money saving vacations
Because of the non-traditional school year, some of the school breaks might differ from the normal school breaks; ours falls on the second week of October - my favorite month :)!! Because of this arrangement, I have saved hundreds of dollars on vacations that could have cost us much more.
5. No long, boring summer breaks
School Summer breaks are so exciting! - the kids get to go to bed late, sleep in the next morning, eat whenever and whatever they want, play video games and watch TV all day. How about the trips to the recreational parks and the BEACH and many more fun stuff?! It's every kid's dream...for like 2 weeks, ha! After that it's - "I'm so boooored! There's nothing to eat. There's nothing to watch, nowhere to go. It's too hot out" ... need I say more?
Cons
School Summer breaks are so exciting! - the kids get to go to bed late, sleep in the next morning, eat whenever and whatever they want, play video games and watch TV all day. How about the trips to the recreational parks and the BEACH and many more fun stuff?! It's every kid's dream...for like 2 weeks, ha! After that it's - "I'm so boooored! There's nothing to eat. There's nothing to watch, nowhere to go. It's too hot out" ... need I say more?
Cons
1. Long and tiring school week
At the beginning of the schedule changes, the kids would be so exhausted that's they'd get in the car after parent pickup and fall asleep in minutes. Sometimes even coming home and going straight to their bedrooms for a snooze. Even though they have a half day on Fridays, the week seemed to last forever! This has gotten better as they grow older and a costumed to the new schedule.
2. Homework is still a thing
Teachers still send home school work, which has to be done, therefore making school related responsibilities feel like a drag and downtime shorter. This is what I, as a parent, have struggled - and complained - most with.
3.
Now that my oldest is in high school, vacations are a challenge for our family. We make it work by staying local and going in day trips instead of a go-away vacation. Needless to say - we love long weekends when everyone is off from school and work at the same time!
4. Short summer breaks
Here in New England we are blessed if we get six weeks of warm enough weigh weather to hit the beach, so you best make the of it while it lasts! That's when I wish my kids were not in school in the middle of August. Sometimes I think that nice weather and year-round school shouldn't be in the same sentence!
5. Conflicting school and sports schedules
This is another one that's been a big challenge for my family! At the beginning of each season I have to have that conversation with the coach that my kids will be late to every game and practice. They miss out because they get to the field late and I feel like I'm always running around like a chicken without a head! There's no fun in that!
So there you have it - the good and the bad - um, challenging - of being a parent of kids who attend a year-round-education school. Sometimes I love everything about it, sometimes not so much.
~ Yamilka ~
