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During a long week, students and teachers find themselves just counting how many more “wake-ups” there are until Friday. While counting down to the weekend or the nearest break, the end seems to feel out of sight, and a long weekend or an extra break may seem more valuable than the three straight months of school. This need for a break oftentimes begs the question of if a longer school year would be worth it to have more breaks. While it would have its upsides, an elongated school year would only lead to more time conflicts and burnout for students.
For starters, the continuity of having school year round would not be reasonable because there would be no distinct start or end to each full school year. If students were to come back on a random Monday in a completely new grade, it would not allow for much transition time, especially for fifth and ninth graders entering a new school. Additionally, having four day weeks and more frequent breaks would cause more issues for parents working a regular 40 hour week who would need to find babysitters or activities for younger children. With a traditional summer break, there are endless summer camps, sports, and other activities to keep children occupied while their parents work.
Moreover, without one longer distinct break during the year leaves students without any true relief from the stress of the school year. The way the school year is structured now, after students complete their second semester finals, they can leave any school related stress behind them for a whole three months without needing to think about it and then start fresh the following September on a clean slate. Without this reset period students would be more likely to get burned out, thus reducing their effort and motivation throughout the year. On the same note, many students who take advanced classes or play sports don’t have time for jobs during the school year, so they work in the summer instead. This allows students to widen their horizons and experience working a job. If school were year round, students would not be left with nearly enough time to balance school, work and extracurricular activities.
