Summer the Little Children
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If old habits die hard, then centuries-old habits might well be immortal:
This ancient agrarian nonsense about giving kids the summer off serves no purpose whatsoever in the Twenty-First Century, but does generate significant disadvantages. As the Times story mentions, "summer learning loss" is well documented. We do our kids a huge disservice by imposing this unnecessary educational burden on them.
Summer vacation apologists offer two different justifications for the obsolete school calendar:
--It interferes with vacations, summer camps, youth sports leagues and similar "enrichments." Which is fine -- if parents can afford them. But the reciprocal effect is also present -- summer vacation is often a burden for working-class or single parents rather than an "opportunity."
--It costs too much to run air conditioning in southern schools during the summer. That doesn't even deserve the dignity of a response. It costs money to heat northern schools during the winter -- why not give northern kids the entire winter off too?
School should imitate life as much as possible. Kids should learn, as soon as they're ready, the lessons of adult life above and beyond the three R's: some people are taller, or smarter, or more talented than others; some families have more money than others; sometimes bad things happen to good people; effort usually leads to success; and so on.
Showing kids that "life is year-round" certainly couldn't hurt either.
Through grass-root groups like Save Georgia Summers ... Save Our Summers in North Carolina and Texans for a Traditional School Year, parents are barging into state legislatures, demanding change. In some cases, they are prevailing. Last year in North Carolina, a petition and e-mail drive led to a new law that says public schools cannot start their year before Aug. 25. Wisconsin recently set its start date as any time after Sept. 1. Beginning next year in Minnesota, public schools cannot open before Labor Day.Of all the problems we face in this country regarding our children, being in school too much is not among them.
This ancient agrarian nonsense about giving kids the summer off serves no purpose whatsoever in the Twenty-First Century, but does generate significant disadvantages. As the Times story mentions, "summer learning loss" is well documented. We do our kids a huge disservice by imposing this unnecessary educational burden on them.
Summer vacation apologists offer two different justifications for the obsolete school calendar:
--It interferes with vacations, summer camps, youth sports leagues and similar "enrichments." Which is fine -- if parents can afford them. But the reciprocal effect is also present -- summer vacation is often a burden for working-class or single parents rather than an "opportunity."
--It costs too much to run air conditioning in southern schools during the summer. That doesn't even deserve the dignity of a response. It costs money to heat northern schools during the winter -- why not give northern kids the entire winter off too?
School should imitate life as much as possible. Kids should learn, as soon as they're ready, the lessons of adult life above and beyond the three R's: some people are taller, or smarter, or more talented than others; some families have more money than others; sometimes bad things happen to good people; effort usually leads to success; and so on.
Showing kids that "life is year-round" certainly couldn't hurt either.
Posted by KipEsquire on
7 August 2005
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