A SAMPLING OF YOUR RESPONSES:
School scheduals should be constructed with the working parents in mind. Not being able to work for 3 weeks a quarter, 6 weeks of summer? its not feeseable, employers would throw a fit. Lets just have year-round school with a week break every quarter and 4 weeks to divy up in the summer at the districts discretion. OH, and no more takin away the kids breaks because it floods or snows, its not their fault, ya know?
Chris, Milton
This is a great idea -- most schools are now air-conditioned, so attending during the summer months is a feasible option. The shorter break during the summer, and the longer breaks during the other seasons would help student progress a good deal. Children get burned out quickly during the school year, and regular three week breaks would give them the rest they needed to get back on track and keep learning. The briefer vacation during the summer would prevent children from going nearly three months without instruction, and not as much time would be lost at the beginning of the next school year reteaching concepts children have forgotten after being gone so long.
A teacher, Point Pleasant
Not so much as 12 months, but a 10 or 10 1/2 school year would certainly allow for school delays and snow or inclimate weather. this would be good so the politics of having to make up days or not to would be out of the question, so yes go to a longer school year.
Randy, Montgomery
There may be some problems with summer programs and camps.
Austin C. Moore, Saint Albans
It makes it hard on the kids not to have a 3 month break.They should have a 4 month one.
John, St.Albans
I think that we should b/c I don't see a problem with going to school a couple weeks and then getting out a couple of weeks. Its just on the other hand, I would forget somethings being tought to me in that matter of time that we get off.
Amber Birthisel, Elkview
Good for both the teachers and students. A lot less burnout.
Linda Withrow, Cross Lanes
I think the kids need the 12 week break in the summer.
Molly, Tunkhannock
I am truely against all year round school. I think that parents should be more responsible in the education of their children. I think that teachers can only do so much, more parental support is needed.
Alum Creek
I have two children and both have attended All year round school here in Charleston, WV. My children seem to retain the information when there is a shorter break between the school years. This also cuts down on the reteaching that the teachers would normally need to do with during traditional school calendar. Seems to work out for the students and the teachers. They attend Piedmont Elementary. What a Great School!
Sarah Leonard, Charleston
You would never have a summer like we do now. If we had a year round schedule you could not go to summer camps or fun weekends during the time you would usually be off for summer.!!!
Andrew Silbernagel, Charleston
Students would retain much more information with less of a break in the summer while also getting consistant meals and discipline that a school environment provides.
April, Racine
I personally know that it's too hard to find child care for shorter periods of time than for one longer period of time. It's to hard on working parents. These children go to school long enough and learn well for the times that they do go to school. Let them be kids!
Jessica, Nitro
I believe our children as well as their teachers and adults should have a vacation
William Sheffey Hart, South Charleston
I teach high school. I believe that year-round school is much more effective for both students and teachers. I was also an exchange student living and going to school in Germany in 1976-77 where I was on a year- round schedule. It was vey nice to have a 2-3 wk break every 9 wks. We are no longer an agriculturally based society, and the job market requires skills that educators who began the 'summer-off' system would never have unerstood. The students need better preparation for that market and year-round school is a step in the right direction.
Kathy Hamsher, Charleston
I feel that this type of program would be very hard on the children of divorced parents. The children would end up spending all thier vacation time with the non-custodial parent. This is not fair to the children or the custodial parent. It makes one parent the enforcer all the time for day-to-day things such as school work and other responsibilities and leaves the other parent as the FUN parent all the time. As a divorced parent and as a step-parent with custody of the children I have went through this with the current school calendar and I really think the year round calendar will make this situation much worse.
Donna Stollings, St. Albans
When do we Start!!
Eric Gillespie, Cross Lanes
Anything to keep my kids home and out of the messed up school system!! All this school system cares about is using our kids to get more money. The SAT 9 testing uses our kids to get more money!
Mary Ann, Ripley
The year round system will make West Virginia school system graduates more competitive in the business world.
Randy Riddle, Point Pleasant
I would rather have a longer summer break than longer school year.
Greg Whited, St. Albans
Yes it would be a good idea if they make them go twelve years. i think it would be more educational because i have three children of my own just starting school.
Pamela Todorovich, Oak Hill
School is stressful enough as it is, plus the added expence of having to pay teachers year-round, plus the supplies, etc, is more than this state can handle.
Kaci, Orgas
New research does not really indicate that students make any more gains in a shedule of this kind. Kids today are pushed way too hard and are exposed to too much, too soon. They should be allowed to continue to be children and have thier enjoyable summer vacation as we have always done. Former years of school calendars set up with a summer break, has produced scores of special and talented adults. I fail to see how giving up the summer can help anything at all.
Debbie Burns, Milton
As a custodian at Eastbrook Elementary in Putnam County, I can tell you that if we had a year-round schedule, we certainly would not have the time to get the school in shape in time for the children to come back in August. It's hard work to strip and wax floors and get it all in shape and to do it right as the two of us at Eastbrook try to do, takes time. That's just my oppinion though. Many may not agree.
David Ferrell, Poca
The kids have enough school the way it is.
William Rhodes, Gandeeville
As a teenager in school, I think this would be a very good idea. You will often hear kids say When I go back to school I wont be able to remember anything. And that is because they lost train of thought in the summer break. Having a year round school would be very interesting. I, being a junior in high school, probably won't be able to experience this, but hopefully my children will.
Michelle Stephens, Winfield
Kids are Kids, they need a break. Somertime is for fun and family, dont take them away. Rember you were a child too, I still am at 40.
Mark Jackson, Clendenin
I think it would benifit the children more because the would get more breaks during the year and would not get burnt out on school, and a lot of children forget what they haved learned by the time they go back to school after summer break and then the teacher has to go back over a lot of things they learned so the can understand what they need to know.
Angie, Hamlin
No! My reason is that the employers of today dictate to their employees when the parent of the school children must take their vacations. These will never coinside with a year long school schedule.
Roy Grimm, New Haven
I think it would be good for some children. The ones that need more attention to be able to catch up with the others. But I dont think it should be forced some kids need a break.
Teresa, Uneeda
Yes I think we should go year round. I am a sophomore in high school, and I realize having 3 months off for summer vacation is just hurting us. When we go back to school, the first week or two, we are just reviewing things we learned from the year before. And that week or two is very valuable because the teachers already struggle to teach us everything we need to know by the end of the semester.
Kristin, Ripley
Because childern will get more days off than the traditional schedule which gives kids only 12 weeks of freedom, the year round schools get 15 weeks off.
S. Smoot, So. Charleston
Now Way! I travel and do ALOT of things in the summer and I want my kids home with me to do them. I am not for this at all.
S. Jude, Mingo County
Let the kids have their summer break. They need that time to unwind and be kids. Who wants to sit in class during the summer when you could be out swimming, playing, and on picnics? Certainly not me!
Mary Beth Carroll, Crown Hill
Yes absolutly! We experienced it in California and it was great. A longer Christmas and spring break. The summer break was just right. Kids got a break when they needed it and we could send them back sooner in the summer so that they did not get under foot like with a longer summer break. Educational time was better used there was less disipline time used.
Neva Stuck, Nitro
I think Year round school would be better for young people so they can retain the knowledge learned prior to Summer break. the bad side is that many parents are dumbfounded on how their children will be watched while there at work.
Chaka Kahn, Charleston
This is the time that the teachers have to further their education, as a lot of them do. ALL need the break.
Sally Anderson, Walton
This is worth trying. Many of the deloping countries spend more days per year in school and turn out a better product. If we are to compete internationally than we have to prepare our students better. More time is better if it includes the arts/ music, physcial ed, those frills that seems to have been purged due to budgetary restraints. We need to study the true costs - added teacher salaries since they are paid for 10 months of work spread over 12 months, also hugh defection of teachers- many only gravitate toward teaching for the promise of summers off, how would they be replaced. If this idea is being proposed for implementation by aug 2003 , someone had better do their homework!
Diane, Bronx, NY
It would increase the costs that are already to high. We are stealing kids childhood by pushing them into adulthood before they are ready. If schools would weed out the superfluos nonsense and politically correct baloney and stick to the basics, there would be plenty of time in the traditional school year.
Walter Beuschel, Conklin
That's not fair to the children. Why can't they start school after Labor Day and get out at the end of May. That's the way we went to school. If teachers can't teach in that amount of time and make sure that the student's are learning then they don't need to be teaching. The children are so stressed out by the end of April as it is.
Vicki Meadows, Charleston
I want my children home with me I dont want the school to raise them I want to.Our children our the best thing we can do and I want mine to get morals and values and love from me not pushed into school so i can have a built in babysitter
Teresa Self, Arnoldsburg
No thanks!!!
Bob, Charleston
The school systems sucks in Kanawha county now trying something new just won't help the students learn. Maybe they should go back to the basics of education. Oh yea send good old RON back where he came from!!!!!!
Larry, Cabin Creek
Year round school would benefit the students by giving them more time to get the required 180 days in the year. Most children are bored after being out of school for 2 or 3 weeks. Parents are forced to find other arrangements when they work and their children are not in school. I think year round school is an excellent idea.
Ken Nida, Elkview
NO, not good!! Kids need time to relax and recharge for their new year in school. I think before we think about extending childrens time in school maybe we should concentrate on the quality of their education.
Helena Rey, Marina Del Rey , California
Because i think that would really suck.Theres a lot of normal familys that like to take summer vacations with there kids.And whoever thought up this idea is very very stupid,so i dont think so people and also think about the kids,i think it would make them want to quit school at an early age. Schools already expect to much out of them anyway.
Jack Toler, Sissonville
I'm a teacher - I hate the idea kids & teachers need recoup time in the summer
Elyse Tomlinson, Nottingham, NH
This type of schedule would help out parents of younger children as far as day care. Most children get sick during the fall, winter and spring months and the extra days off during these months would improve the attendance records considerably. (hoping that if they are going to get sick it will be during the three weeks they are off) I would also like to see this happen in West Virginia. Most people don't like change but if the year round school calendar were to be implemented I believe everyone would adjust and eventually realize they like the change.
Linda S. Bundy, Amma
I think children would be resentful to it because they are too accustomed to having a summer break The weather is so bad most other times of the year here they couldn't enjoy their breaks.
Carla Vanmeter, Cedar Grove
If they cant have the same amount of days off I dont think its a good idea. These children need a break. Maybe if you give them 2 smaller breaks a different times of years then that would b ok!
Christina Dolin, Columbus,Ohio
Academic burnout among the students. Summer time is for the kids to spend with their familys, enjoy vacation and leisurely activities. Let the younger children be themseves...Being Kids.
Will Farra, Sandyville
Through summer kids forget what they learned and I think it would be less homework, from trying to cram too much into so many weeks of regular school
Rose, Sissonville
I do agree. In my opinion I think it would benefit every county in the tri-state to go with a year round school calendar. I think it would make it alot easier on the parents as well as the students.
Kaitlyn, Barboursville
Kids are already bummed out on text books. Only if you give them a lesser work load, gee. What are you guys trying to do fry our brains? I mean come on we need to learn yes, but teachers don't care anyway. They just overload us on work so they don't have to answer questions. Wake up to rality guys. The human body can only do so much. Year round school will just wear us out. I could understand it if we could graduate in like the 10th grade maybe, I mean COME ON!
Dayton, OH
I feel we need to teach our children that the learning process is ongoin and therefore there should not be any long term breaks.
Shannon Westerman, Charleston
How much more can the school superidents mess things up.
Don Withrow, Elkview
I disagree since some kids use that time to work nad gain experience that will help them to go to college.
Neerav B. Trivedi, Poughkeepsie, New York
Our kids are so far behind other countries, such as germany, england, japan and the like. It is a disgrace that we are letting this happen to them. The summer break was designed for the turn of the century when our country was mainly a farming community and children were needed at home for planting and harvesting. Now most kids have never even been on a farm! With all the time they miss in the winter, especially here lately with the flooding and those ridiculous faculty senate days, our children need the extra time just to keep their minds going. It is a proven fact that when children are in school for a longer period of the year, they retain more of the knowledge when they move on to the next grade level. Besides, they need to have that extra edge, since our government wants us to be globally competitive and the rest of the world goes to school for 10 or 11 months of the year!
Margaret Crouch, Hurricane
This system has worked for many years with good success,they need to focus more on the quality of the system,instead of the quanity.
Starlin, Beckley
I have three children and they were all blessed enough to have attended year-round school in elementary. Their retention for information was astounding, their test scores were higher, and their overall g.p.a.s soared. The only fall back that my children faced was the transition from grade 5 to grade 6, whe they went back to the traditional school year. Their grades dropped so drasticly that my son had to repeat the 6th grade. I am sure that if he had continued with year-round schooling that he would have excelled much further and faster.
Terri Natson, Charleston
Children need a vacation just as much as adults. Family time is a very important part of growing up. Education is obviously the backbone to success. However, without your family ,things mean nothing. Happiness begins at home.
Lee Carter, Alderson
Students and teachers would benefit. Traditional summer camps and other activities could be scheduled at other times to coincide with school breaks. However, the entire state would have to change to the year round sachedule because of sports and other activities at the secondary level.
Mary Anne Carpenter, Cowen
Mrs. Strader's English class, St. Albans High School: More short breaks will keep you motivated, and you won't forget as much.
Mrs. Strader's English Class - 9th grade, St. Albans
The kids wouldn't get burnt out as bad near the end of school and the Teachers wouldn't spend the 1st 6 weeks of school reteaching everything the kids missed from the year before at the beginning of the school year.
Nikki Williams, Montgomery
This is rediculous. These kids spend enough time in school and I believe there will be a drop in children graduating if they don't get a long summer break to get away from things for awhile.
Roberta Bartram, Pliny
We go to school and work very hard. Year round school is not what we need. We need more disipline. The education we get today is very poor. The teacher cant teach class because there is always one or more kids in the class who cant behave and the teacher has to call them down..that takes time away from us. What we need is better disipline. The less kids we have not causing a disruption, the better chances we have to learn.
LeeAnn Dickerson, Eskdale
As the scheduale is now, students have set time with family. If it were changed to year round, that time would be shortened. Some people still like to take long vacations. The system didn't work too well in California. The 9 months of school offers students a time of mental closure. The last and main point; The break was originally started so kids could help out and work on the farm for their family and stuff like that. Altough there aren't so many nowadays, there are still students who work on farms, busiest season is summer, and regular McDonalds summer jobs are best when you don't have to worry about jumping back and forth.
Sarah, Sissonville
With year-round schooling the students are less likey to forget subject matter and spend less time at the beginning of the year in review of last years lessons.
Angela Longerbeam, Hurricane
No because some students have more summer jobs than they do during school. Like me I'm so busy in the summer I can't do anything else.
Amanda Martin, Hico
I believe that this is totally ridiculous! Our children today are so pushed into everything so quickly without considering what is best for the children. Most of the politicians and board memebers that we have today making these decisions either have never had children or have children that are grown adults. And all these major changes they are making are NOT helping our children, it is HURTING our children. Our children are already suffering from these major changes. I have several friends that have children going to several different consolidated schools and their children hate it. So many children are getting LOST in the shuffle. Bigger is NOT always better, nor keeping these kids in school for longer periods of time will not help matters either.
Cheri Sowards, Hurricane
I think that a more diversified school calender would benifit the children as well as make things easier for the parents. The kids would not have to spend the first 6 weeks of school relearning what they forgot over the 12 week summer break and would also allow for school closings due to bad weather. Maybe our children would actually get 180 days of education then
Todd, Ravenswood
I like having a big break in the summer so I have more time to go on summer vacations. If I had breaks in the fall and winter, I wouldn't know what to do with my time off except just being able to relax and hang out with my friends.
Amber Dawn, Athens
I don't think so because if you think about it, the students will miss out on alot of things that kids do for fun. They might be on break but what about all the other schools? They will not be on break so they will basically be on break by themselves and that would not be fun. Then only having 6 weeks of summer when everyone else has time off and fun. They will be missing out on alot of things that they need to do within their childhood. Remember (you only get to be a child once)and would you have wanted that when you were a child.
Michael Mckenzie, Baltimore ,Md.
I would have to disagree with the year around school. Only because I work during the summer so I can save to go to college. There are other students who have parents seperated and during the summer is when they have the most visitation time, I know thats how it used to be with me. School is a good thing, but being with family is better.
Amber, Clendein
I think it's a horrible ideal. Kids need to be kids barefoot and carefree on those hot sultry summer days!! Not in a classroom with a stack of books in front of them, and saddled down with homework when there is a yard full of lightning bugs every evening just beckoning to be caught!
Donna Jo Morris, Walton
It would be stupid cause everyone has to have a break sometime.
Steve, Ripley
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