As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.Then why are school boards toying around with a year-round education model? The idea is that a balanced calendar with holidays spread out throughout the year is more conducive to learning than a long summer break. But, the success of millions of students under the old calendar demonstrates that school with a generous side of summer isn’t a problem.
The Ottawa French Catholic School Board is the latest to follow this education trend with a new school in Gloucester that will implement a year-round system for a three-year pilot period.
Select schools in British Columbia, Alberta and other areas of Ontario are already testing the system. If successful, it could become the norm in various boards.
Year-round education consists of the same amount of academic days, but broken down with weeklong breaks in October, February and March, rather than a lengthy summer. The change is to allow students to jump back into learning versus the risk of forgetting over a lengthy summer break. However, educators should be focused less on this type of handholding and think about the future.
Regardless of the affect an education-free summer may have on pupils at the elementary level, long summer breaks will be the reality when they reach the higher grades, university or college. So they might as well get used to it early on.
Whether students are subjected to shorter breaks or not, knowledge is not likely to be retained without the need for a refresher. Arguably, any amount of time spent not applying knowledge can cause it to fade.
Summer days for students are about playing until the streetlights come on, camps, cottages and much needed rest for the mind. After all, there’ll be plenty of time to experience years of vacation-less summers when youths become adults feverishly focused on their careers.
Spending an August afternoon plugging away on mathematics in a sweaty classroom is less than desirable. Therefore, another pitfall of year-round schooling is that schools must be equipped to handle the heat. Reliable air conditioning systems and adjusting custodial staff schedules are just a few of the other changes to tackle.
Furthermore, day care options will likely be a concern. With the change in holidays, parents will be left trying to find proper care when their children’s vacations no longer coincide with their own.
Since year-round education is not currently implemented in all schools, the model also creates a dichotomy amongst students. While some may be learning the fine art of canoeing in the summer sun, others may be packing his or her knapsack full of books.
Especially with a new curriculum and standardized testing in place, maybe students have seen enough change to supposedly do them good. The traditional calendar has the practical validity of balancing a rigorous workload with rest. Perhaps our school boards should focus more on the decline in resources and funding and less on whether the kids are having a little too much fun in the sun.
—Tara McCarthy