Why we should change the school year.

Authors Avatar by stone-water (student)

When one-room schoolhouses were still in existence and the society of North America was largely agricultural-based, it was imperative that education would halt during the summer months. Students needed time off to help their families grow and harvest crops; education just got in the way. But gradually society changed in North America. The majority of Canadians and Americans was no longer making an agrarian living, but a living required them to move to urban America. Since most students no longer live on a farm, it is no longer essential that they be given long intercessions in the summer between the school year. Therefore a new system would seem appropriate. This new system is known as the balanced calendar. Rather than having a two-month long summer, as in the traditional calendar, the balanced calendar entails a summer shortened to one month and the winter and spring breaks lengthened to one month each. Students would be in school from September to November, January to March, and May to July, with all of December, April, and August off. Each system has an equivalent amount of time spent in school and out of school, but the balanced system has many more advantages. The balanced calendar is more suitable for use in schools than the traditional calendar because it creates a more efficient use of vacation time, a more desirable school environment, and greater academic achievement.

The use of the balanced calendar in schools results in a more effective use of the students’ and teachers’ vacation time. Instead of having erratic breaks throughout the year, the intercessions will be more frequent. Pupils and teachers will now be able to spend long breaks in different seasons rather than having most of the allotted time for days spent out of school lumped together in the summer. This will provide families for more opportunity for family vacations. Before, the cost to take a holiday during the winter and spring breaks was quite expensive due to the law of supply and demand. However, this will no longer be a problem. Families on the balanced calendar system can take a vacation at the beginning of December or at any time during April at much less cost since most schools will not be out of school during these times and it will not be at peak seasons. According to information retrieved from Expedia.ca, an all-inclusive one-week vacation for a family of four to the Dreams Cancun Resort and Spa in Cancun, Mexico from December 5 to 12, would cost $4569, but that same vacation taken from December 26 to January 2 would cost more than double that amount at $9508. Taking advantage of these low prices would not be possible for families on the traditional system. In addition to having more opportunity for vacations in the winter and spring breaks, a shorter summer could also have its advantages. Many students, especially younger ones who cannot be employed for a summer job, may become bored with a lengthy summer. A shortened summer would provide a better emotional atmosphere for the holidays. Parents will be greatly relieved for no longer having to hear their child say every ten minutes “I’m bored.” The switch to a balanced calendar would ultimately result in a more efficient use of the time allotted for school breaks.

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Another effect of the balanced calendar system is that it results in a more pleasing school environment. Students will not become as bored at school. With long periods of in-school days, students become very uninterested in school are itching for the holidays to begin. On the other hand, with frequent holidays, boredom will not be as much of a problem with students and the regular month-long periods will give them time to refresh themselves and take their mind of school. The use of the balanced calendar will also affect the students’ stress levels. In a traditional calendar, all learning is ...

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