Just when it seemed that the fallout from coronavirus couldn’t get any worse, a new idea is trending that could potentially derail summer vacation plans for families. And President Biden has echoed the sentiment, and given it life. I am, of course, talking about how the school year may be extended into summer break.
I quite literally gasped when I first heard rumblings that there might be an extended school year in California, to help make up for lost learning due to the pandemic. “But what about our rescheduled 2020 vacation?” I asked my husband. An odd question, I know. However, all I could think about was the money and effort it had taken to rebook everything from last year.
Now, it appears, school could be a very real possibility for kids this summer. In fact, President Biden has set aside $29 billion for summer programs and tutoring in his proposed pandemic stimulus package. And the idea is gaining steam. Two weeks ago, the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, said summer classes should be an option for students in his state. He followed Governor Doug Ducey’s call for longer school days in Arizona, and Governor Gavin Newsom’s move to include an extended school year in the California budget.
The Impact of Remote Learning
To be sure, there is no doubt that remote learning has had a negative impact on our kids. They’ve missed out on the benefits of in-person instruction and social interaction with peers. And I’m sure six plus hours of screen time each day (albeit educational screen time), isn’t good for them either. But, as any parent knows, no two children are the same – nor is their response to remote learning. In fact, it can sometimes be quite the opposite of what you were expecting.
Take, for instance, my own kids. My youngest is an IEP student. He has surprisingly flourished in an online pandemic learning environment, and has become a real leader amongst his classmates. Conversely, I have an A grade student who has been struggling with middle school remote learning. He has found it hard to stay motivated and accountable and, as a result, his grades have sometimes slipped.
That said, my concern with an extended 2020/2021 school year is that students may get painted with a broad brush. A one-size-fits-all approach that is simply not thoughtful or effective. However, even if an extended school year operates like a traditional summer school program, that remediates specific individual learning gaps, I’m still not sure that it is something many families would embrace right now.
Alternate Options
While the timing of summer break may seem convenient for extra learning, particularly as infection levels (hopefully) go down, and vaccinations increase, it is important to acknowledge the level of burnout that students and teachers are facing. The same is true for parents. Co-teaching children from home is exhausting. Simply put, students, parents, and teachers alike, are quite literally counting down the days until summer for a reason: they need a break.
One alternative that is on the table is extending the 2021/2022 school year instead. Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school district, is considering the possibility of adding 10 instructional days next year. This could mean a shorter summer break on the back end of the current school year, or it could mean a longer school day, or shorter holidays, next year.
Adding a few extra days to a school calendar isn’t anything unusual for families that live in parts of the country where the weather can be disruptive. In particular, “snow days” are common in mountain communities like Truckee, California, and often require make-up days for learning. A move, such as that proposed by Los Angeles Unified, may prove to be more palatable to families in need of a respite this summer. Especially those parents that recognize there may have been several months of learning loss because of COVID.
Final Words
I guess I fall into the above camp. I’m open to adjusting the instructional calendar for next year, but don’t mess with summer break. My mental health, and the mental health of my kids, is not going to handle school stretching into vacation time. My family already has enough emotional turmoil going on, wondering if our rescheduled trip to see grandparents will even happen. And I can tell you one thing, if that vacation gets the green light from the powers that be, nothing is going to stop me from traveling to England to see my parents, who I haven’t seen in more than a year!
Happy Travels!
