Saturday, February 03, 2007

Georgia to Extend Summer Vacation?

Please, NO.

That's more weeks of the year I need to work from home, find/pay for summer camps or get babysitters. But some Ga legislators want fewer school days.

Not to mention reducing the school year and "packing the same amount of instruction into fewer days" would likely mean more lost recess time, more time away from the 'down' time studies at school like music, computer lab, etc..

One of the sponsors of the bill suggested that lengthened summer vacation would lead to more tourism revenue. Oh really? Can't prove that by me.

Having to find more care for my children and pay for those extra 'days off' means i have less money to spend on vacations. Not to mention that you're not increasing the numbers of families on vacation or money in their pocket. You're just spreading the time that they can take a vacation out over a longer interval. No extra tax revenue that i can discern. Not unless you are talking about my neighbors Muffy and Howell the third. THEY probably can go on vacation more often. Not me.

LONGER school years, coupled with more frequent vacation periods, are meant to foster learning and retention. A three month vacation does nothing for that. Don't give me this garbage about year-round schools inhibiting economic development. You want economic development, help the schools do a better job of providing an educated workbase that attracts more jobs and voila, Economic Development!

Heck, give me more school days during the year, cut back on the amount of time per day they spend in the classroom and give me frequent and smaller vacation periods. A lot like college, but different of course. Maybe an Elementary Quarter system. The camps and what not will adjust and things will definitely be different.

Please don't force our kids to do more with less. I get enough of that at work.