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180 out of 365 days a year, students and teachers wake up at the crack of dawn, Monday through Friday from September to June. While that part will always be the same, there is constant debate over when our breaks should be, especially after Christmas Break was shortened. At many schools in Michigan, they have two weeks off during the holidays, but only a long weekend off in February.
While having two weeks off would be nice for the purpose of vacations or having time to regroup after a busy holiday season, taking away Mid-Winter Break could be harmful. The way the school year is set up now, there is about six weeks between Christmas break and Mid-Winter week, with midterm week and Martin Luther King Day off in between, and then about a month after Mid-Winter break to spring break. This way students and teachers get a full week off every month to regroup and take time to themselves. On the other hand, if Mid-Winter break were to be taken away, there would be 12 consecutive weeks of school with only Martin Luther King Day, and President’s Day off.
Additionally, as a student athlete I can never seem to catch a break during the week, and I am constantly just counting down the days until Friday when I can relax again for a few days before the academic and athletic grind starts again. The stress that comes with balancing a rigorous schedule like honors students and athletes do can be difficult; having a week off to spend time with friends and family every few weeks is crucial to mental health.
Moreover, having our vacation days split up throughout the second semester allows the year to flow more smoothly overall. Since Midterms are always the week of Martin Luther King Day, having a break stretch longer into January would give students less time to prepare for testing after break. Even these few days of instruction can make a big difference in how students perform on their exams and increase the class averages significantly.
