I am experiencing something new this year: Fall Break. Not just an extra two days for Thanksgiving -- a whole week at the end of October. Many of my co-workers are off in Italy, Greece, and the south of France, but we have opted to stay in Belgium, catching up on sleep and cooking a lot and sewing and reading.I've been thinking about teachers getting the breaks so many teachers say that they desperately need. I have yet to take the summer off -- this upcoming summer will be my first -- and that is a nice luxury to have. And we do work very hard. I enjoy the work immensely, so much that I miss it already and it's only Tuesday. I'm thinking about my students, though, and the transition back into school after that two month break. As much as the two month summer rest is nice, or the opportunities for extended travel, I think there is something appealing about year-round school. Getting children back on track and into the routine at the beginning of the year is quite the transition, especially with young children. I feel that my students are ready to move on from the initial start of the year now, because we have taken two months establishing our community.
This is more of a rambling than a fight for one side or the other. What do you think of year round school versus a traditional school year? And homeschoolers, do you find that you do your work year-round?
I love the year round school idea. While I love the summer, it really is difficult getting the kids readjusted regardless of age. I almost wish that we did year round and every 2 months got a week off. I think that the teachers would really be much more adjusted.
ReplyDeleteyear-round school seems to fit the lifestyle of the two working parents -- no need to find childcare for the summers, the ability to take vacations during the rest of the year, etc.
ReplyDeletei think back to how long summers seemed when i was a child .. blissfully long. a lifetime long. you went back to school a different person almost. that's the kind of summer i want for my children. :^)
we homeschool, and we don't homeschool year-round. we are "off" in the summer, although it's not very different from the school year. but .. it's different enough. :^)