School's Out for Summer

I remember those feelings of excitement when, as a kid, you reached those final few days of the school year before summer break.

Every year, it was my friend Wayne’s tradition to play the 1972 Alice Cooper song, “School’s Out for Summer” when the last day of school concluded. And thus began those days of endless play as a three-month summer vacation began.

If you read the tea leaves, in Knox County, it seems like those restful three month breaks may fade like the last rays of an August sunset. For years, our school superintendent has floated the notion of “Year-Round School.” After an initial bit of test messaging a couple years back, it seems like the idea has returned under the umbrella of ‘a balanced calendar.’

He has proposed this schedule as a part of his five year strategic plan. The balanced calendar could appear as early as the 2016-17 school year.

One way or the other, it seems destined to happen.

I’m no educator. I haven’t looked at any data. All I can say is that I’m glad the decision took place long after my two ones graduated from Farragut High School. The decision – whatever it turns out to be – will not affect them.

It will likely impact my nieces as well as scores of future Knox County pupils who would be educated under this new calendar model. Many parents have organized to oppose the movement.

The reason I say I’m glad this won’t affect my immediate family is more anecdotal than data-driven. I never noticed any learning loss that occurred over summer; I didn’t detect any mass effort to have them ramp up at the beginning of the fall term.

More importantly, our family enjoyed the leisurely pace of the summer calendar. With Lisa’s teaching schedule, she got to spend ample time with our two achievement-oriented kids whose schedules from September-May were super-packed. I think the down-time they enjoyed in the summer – and the ability to pursue creative interests on their own time and schedule – was a real plus for Holly and Paul.

I can’t imagine, also, what working parents are expected to do throughout the traditional school year months. Unless a cottage industry of transient day care and learning enrichment programs is developed, working families will be depending on grandma and grandpa to fill that child care gap.

I’m glad we don’t have to deal with those complications on top of an already busy lifestyle.

As I said before, I am not looking at the data. Maybe there is some compelling reason to eschew tradition for an updated education model. We have a number of educators in our family. Perhaps some of them would be interested in weighing in.

In the meantime, I’m just glad this isn’t something that will affect my family. 

JG

Originally posed 4/30/2014