Regular School Already Starting During Summer Time?

School is out during the summer! Well, it is for part of the summer. In some districts around the world, students have begun returning to the classroom. For others, they even start back within the next two weeks. This represents a significant shift from the trends of the past few decades. For a long time, neither private nor public schools resumed until late August. My mother, who is 78 years old, even recalls an era where people didn’t start hitting the books again until the day after Labor Day. Considering the changes in the school schedule, it’s understandable that there are mixed feelings about it. It’s worth examining the pros and cons surrounding this shift in academic protocol.

Negative Aspects of School Starting Back So Early

Less Summer and Family Time

For many years, the summer didn’t officially end until after Labor Day. Technically, the season doesn’t conclude until late September. With many classroom activities already underway by late July/early August, it’s almost as if young learners are in ‘summer school’ when they’re not. During the no-school days, youngsters worldwide are given the opportunity to sleep in. While there are various opinions on this, some argue that providing people within certain age ranges opportunities to do so can improve their physical and mental health.

Summer is a time to be with family and friends. The time of year when people enjoy wearing shorts and T-shirts is not typically associated with a classroom setting. However, with nearly the whole month of August being taken away from them, children and adolescents miss out on days at the pool, attending ball games, and most especially, family vacations.

Typically, late July/early August has still been the time when people associate with families hitting the road or going to the airport to go out of town and have fun. However, in the past few years, we have seen a change in this. You could argue that this pattern is an issue for the students’ parents. They have not been able to schedule vacations when certain areas offer their most fantastic tourist attractions.

Effect on the Tourism Industry

The tourism industry is suffering a significant decline during the COVID pandemic. Since then, people have been enjoying the opportunity to travel to various destinations that offer outstanding experiences for all. Unfortunately, school closures have cut short the time off for young learners. This means that various spots cannot attract as many visitors as they would like. This hurts their business during arguably their busiest time of the year. The family vacation has long been a cherished tradition for many people worldwide. One could say that it’s much harder to keep that up now.

When it comes to the pros of school resuming in the height of the summertime, many of them surround teachers, school officials, and the actual schools themselves.

Benefits of School Starting Back Early

Keeping Learning Fresh

One of the most significant problems teachers experience when the bells ring again is that the desks are not vacant. However, many students have forgotten what they learned previously. Therefore, the teachers must provide several weeks of prior lesson review. The process often feels very time-consuming and almost like a waste of precious days in a calendar year.

When young learners enter the school doors earlier in the year, arguably, much of what they have learned is still fresh in their minds. This makes it a lot easier on the teacher. They don’t have to do as much reviewing of math equations, history lessons, and poring over previously read literature.

Fulfilling State and District Requirements

The most practical reason that learning centers start opening their doors so early is due to requirements imposed by their local state and district. An academic calendar requires the fulfillment of a specific number of days. Principals and administrators are fully aware of the dilemmas associated with having to shut down because of weather concerns, national and state emergencies, food contamination, and unexpected days being designated as holidays. Academic officials may have become aware of sudden changes due to the COVID pandemic. However, when the academic year begins significantly earlier, both public and private schools have an advantage in meeting the required number of days. They are better to prepare for any disturbances to their regular schedule.

Adhering to statewide testing schedules is just as important as completing individual days. These tests aim to measure students’ achievements in core subjects, such as English and math. Arguably, these types of tests detract from time spent on regular study material. If the academic season starts earlier, however, the requirements surrounding the scheduling of these tests can be fulfilling.

Climate Aspects

A massive heatwave is currently sweeping through many states, including areas not accustomed to extremely hot summers. Since temperatures are arguably at their peak in late July/early August, it makes sense that it is the period when people stay inside, where it has air-conditioning. When students can start school during this timeframe, they can stay indoors, thereby avoiding heat-related issues. Although this is more of an issue in southern states, mentioning, the recent heat wave appears to be a problem for areas in colder climate.

Prepare for School and Stay Prepared!!

Regardless of your opinions of the school seasons beginning so early, it’s important to both prepare for school and stay prepared. If you are a parent who either has students who have started back to school or are about to reenter the classroom, you must maintain your child’s school list.

In addition to any requirements from your child’s teacher or school, here is a list of items to ensure they have in their locker or backpack.

• Notebooks
• Folders
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Glue sticks
• Crayons
• Markers
• Highlighters
• Index Cards

The time that students spend in the classroom is very crucial to their learning and overall development. Even though many schools are starting earlier than usual, they must stay focused. Additionally, families still need to spend enough time together, even if it occurs during an unconventional time of the year.