Contrary to what we hear, summer break did not start so kids could work on the farm. It’s so they could go on vacation. But we can’t afford those any more, and kids are better off with shorter breaks.
Loudoun County schools weigh year-round calendar
Loudoun County Public Schools is considering a new academic calendar that would essentially eliminate the traditional summer vacation.
Fox – 5 DC
So, this is less of an opinion column and more of a … STOP HITTING YOUR BROTHER!
Sorry about that. I was saying, this isn’t really a column, it’s a … PUT THE BASEBALL BAT DOWN.
Again, sorry. This isn’t a column, it’s an emergency flare. I’m firing it off, hoping someone beyond our battered and smoking home will see it, possibly a school official or politician in my state’s capital or Washington.
But even if those policymakers notice the faint light over the horizon, I fear they won’t understand or respond.
Because if they have school-age children … I TOLD YOU TO TURN OFF THE TV … NOW! I assume their kids have been doing summer “programs”: sleepover camps, sports camps, day camps. Or maybe they have a parent who can afford to not work during summer break and can be present and manage the children.
Or maybe, they have found the holy grail. Maybe their kids are in year-round school.
While that system of shorter summer breaks with vacation days spread more evenly around the school year is not that common in the United States, I would argue it should be. As would my wife, who is counting down to the first day of school like it’s the end of a prison sentence.
The benefits include economic security and sanity for parents as well as better education, health and even safety for children.
Why do we have summer break? Here’s the truth.
I tend to forget how long summer break is. Until it’s summer. And then, it’s too late.
At that point, we are in for another 11 weeks of “isn’t it great that we can work from home,” except “I can’t hear myself think over the TV and the screaming.”
Still, being able to work remotely is a benefit many parents don’t have. And if they can’t afford to put their kids in a camp, hopefully there’s something they can afford that provides … DO NOT PUT THAT UP HIS NOSE! Sorry – something that provides a safe, nurturing environment.
The summer camps in our area have wonderful settings in the mountains of North Carolina.
But they aren’t affordable for us, since a lot of them focus on kids from higher-income families who live outside our region. Some charge well over $2,000 a week.
There are some cheaper and even free summer programs, but slots can be limited, and it’s hard to cobble together a summer that way.
I thought I knew the history of school summer breaks – that during a more agrarian past, children were needed to work on the farm. But that’s apparently not true, since spring and fall are actually the busy seasons for farms.
What really happened is that before air conditioning, school buildings were distractingly hot. And as an increasing number of families could afford to travel for vacation, schools closed down in the hottest months.
Now the pendulum is swinging the other way, with family vacations and summer camps increasingly unaffordable. Schools, meanwhile, are air-conditioned, while my century-old house is not, except for a couple of bedroom window units that let us sleep in the summer. (Climate change is real. Just ask my kids.)
Schools can keep kids safe, fed year-round
The other thing that’s real is summer learning loss, sometimes called the “summer slide.” I, for one, can see the math draining out of my kids’ brains daily. And good luck trying to get them off screens long enough to pick up a book … STOP GROANING! YES, I SAID, “BOOK.” IT’S MADE OF PAPER AND TELLS YOU THINGS.
The slide can be particularly bad for lower-income kids. One long-term Baltimore study found the biggest reason poor kids lagged academically behind richer children was a lack of summer learning opportunities.
Summer can also be a time of hunger. More than 12.2 million income-qualifying U.S. students eat free or reduced-price breakfast during the school year and 21.1 million get free or reduced-price lunch. Take away the cafeteria and many of those students lose one or two reliable meals.
It’s also not surprising that long periods without daily structure and supervision can increase children’s risk of getting involved with crime, either as a victim or perpetrator. The fact that guns are the leading cause of death for U.S. youth raises those stakes.
Shootings involving minors are something we’re unfortunately familiar with in my hometown. Sometimes at my house, we’re close enough to hear the shots.
One option I’ve seen promoted to help keep kids out of trouble during the long summer break is structured job and volunteer programs. Which isn’t a bad idea.
But I know another one that helps keep children safe, feeds them, educates them and allows their parents to keep their jobs and sanity: year-round school.
DO NOT USE THE PLUNGER FOR THAT!
Joel Burgess is a Voices editor for USA TODAY Opinion. You can find him cowering in his home until school starts.