School is too long, it demotivates students to be piled with work and forced to sit and stay still at a desk for long hours. During a recent interview students, parents, and staff members affiliated with Gloucester High school were interviewed on various questions concerning the matter of fixing the hours in which kids attend school. They were asked questions such as, Do you think there needs to be more breaks during the school year, if so how often should it be? Are students overwhelmed or stressed out because they are in school for so long and could it benefit student’s mental health to have more freetime?
When parents and staff were asked, they all had very different options but two of seven individuals commented that they believe in year-round schooling. One concerned parent’s input was that “year-round school would help students remember what was taught to them last year,” benefiting students in the long run. An experienced teacher believes that every nine weeks, students and staff should get two weeks off of school for recreational purposes. Another staff member stated that the students and staff shouldn’t have any more breaks because it would make school prolonged into the summer. One other opinion was every three weeks students and staff would get a day off. As I further my research, an interviewer reported that he didn’t think there should be any school on Fridays at all. The last comment I got from an adult was that there should be more teacher work days, which can help the teachers get up to date with grading.
The students also had a lot of different opinions, such as days off being taken in the middle of each semester so the students and staff could regroup themselves. One student also said, “More breaks can give our brains a break and can put less stress on students who are in sports or have a job.” Some students have also said that every month we should have a three-day to a four-day weekend. Many have also said that every quarter there should be at least one to two weeks off from school.
When I asked these questions, I also got some answers from students who said that school just needed to start later. When I did more research on this topic to see if it could benefit staff and students, this is what I have found. The American Psychological Association states that schools starting later can increase attendance rates, decrease student-involved car accidents, and decrease students sleeping during instructions.
These were all the thoughts, comments, and input on how students and adults feel about having more breaks. Most of the majority think there should be more breaks during the school year. And it seems like it could benefit everyone in some way and could help with education and mental health.
