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Poll: Should there be an additional month of school?

The answers people gave for lengthening the school year were evenly split. And just to make sure everyone knows: This was just a question; no one is thinking about actually doing this.

Now, the answers: Other than a list of “nos,” a few people offered comments: “Children go long enough and need to enjoy the summer with family and friends. “Another respondent suggested: “The cost would be prohibitive with no benefit to the students for a month” of extra time in school.

For those who believe more time in school would be beneficial, here are a couple of comments:
“Another month of school is needed. I have worked in the classroom for 10 years and the single most important thing on students’ minds is talking to their friends, not studying. As a consequence, I have heard high school students say they hate reading books; I heard one high school student tell me the Second World War was in the 1950s. Another didn’t know Denmark was part of Europe. We are competing with the rest of the world and we are routinely behind too many other countries.”

A retired teacher said she believes year-round school “is in the best interest of our children. I have seen too much academic loss over the summer months. … A year-round system would give families that cannot get off during the summer months an opportunity to have vacation time with their children at other times of the year.”
So, the jury’s still out on this one.

Next poll: Should we continue these polls? Do you want to see more columns from Dr. Tom Kadela? Send replies to cathnews@bellevillemessenger.org or call 233-8670.