The summer weather has finally arrived in Oregon and summer vacation is in full swing. Some kids are camping, some are at summer camp. Many teachers are taking a much-needed break, while others are enrolled in summer courses.
Summer vacation has been a tradition in the United States since the mid-19th century, but as the students of the United States fall behind in reading, math and science, the trend towards year-round education is gaining momentum. Is it possible that summer vacation is a tradition that is doing more harm than good for our children? Could year-round school be the key to improving our struggling public education system?
Public schools in the United States haven’t always had a long summer vacation; in fact, in the 1800s different areas of our country had different school schedules. In the city schools were open as many as 48 weeks a year while rural areas had a summer and winter term for school and a fall and spring break allowing children to help with planting and harvesting on the family farm. In the 1840s, popular educational reformers like Horace Mann proposed a blending of the two schedules citing the belief that year-round school was over-stimulating to children’s minds, but that 2 semesters wasn’t enough. And so it was. The “traditional” calendar was born: a 9 month school year with a long summer break. (Source)
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Category:
extended learning, funding, school year, student success |
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Tags: education statistics, Oregon schools, professional development for teachers, research, school funding, summer learning loss, year-round education
The minute I signed my name to the papers in front of me, I became a statistic, one of the nearly 50% of teachers who leave after only 3-5 years in the profession. And holding my resignation papers in hand, I couldn’t help but think of how weird it was to become just another number—especially because I’d always seen myself as a teacher who would make it. Though I wouldn’t go so far as to say I have a special calling for teaching, it’s something I’ve been good at, and something I’ve mostly enjoyed. Why would I—or the 50% of other new teachers like me—quit?
For me, it wasn’t the money. Even though teacher compensation is pathetically low—I once calculated my take-home pay, with all the extra hours I put in, at something like $14 an hour—I knew before I started that I wouldn’t make much. I wasn’t in it for money. I didn’t leave because of the difficultly, either: my students and all the challenges they daily brought me were, without a doubt, the best part of my job. I didn’t leave because of nasty coworkers (my coworkers were awesome) or an unsupportive administration (my principal was awesome too) or any of the myriad reasons people cite when they talk about teacher retention or the lack thereof. (more…)
Category:
education reform, professional development for educators, teacher advocacy |
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Tags: education statistics, teacher advocacy, teacher attrition
