Standardized Summer Vacation

Advocates point to research that shows kids forget a lot of what they’ve learned over the summer.

“Teachers typically spend four to six weeks each fall re-teaching material that kids should have learned the previous year,” says Ron Fairchild of Johns Hopkins University.

With all due respect to Ron Fairchild and Johns Hopkins University but he has missed the educational boat. Summers have decreased and the school year has lengthened because of … anyone …anyone …that’s right STANDARDIZED TESTING. As noted in the article but passed over for more pressing problems with the Miami Seaquarium and its revenue shortfalls.

Moreover, standardized tests now consume at least two full months of in-depth training for students, the months of February and March are most likely to be the victims of death by ditto. The entire two months are devoted to nothing but state tests and the scores which are needed to become an ‘A’ school.

Granted that re-teaching is needed but this will always be the case. Children need refreshers just as adults need retraining. This is no surprise. Moreover, the push by some parents to end the horrible decline of summer is complete nonsense. The traditional summer recess was instituted for an agrarian society. We are far from those days of ma and pa needing help from the chit’len down on the homestead.

In my opinion, school should be year round. With breaks between quarters; within these breaks students will be assigned critical thinking projects (which is lacking in most situations) and further reading. Education is not a light switch to be turned off and on. It is a fire which must be kept ablaze. Parents and teachers alike need to think of the student first and Disney world second.