# year-round schooling

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-round-schooling/55287>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [February 21, 2001, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-round-schooling/55287 "2001-02-21T01:36:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-round-schooling/55287/21 "2001-02-22T03:48:38Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by linolium420 \*  
> **The problem with summer is that it’s great for a month but it doesn’t take long for summer to get boring as all hell. I swear, as much as I hated regular school I would sort of look forward to the school year just so it would relieve the monotony of the sitting around and doing nothing**

I…am…_aghast!_

Suffice it to say that _this_ guy never got bored with summer vacation. Those months of glorious freedom were when I actually experienced _life_ rather than boring academia.

_Originally posted by rjung_

> [@](#):
>
> \*\*1. Your “typical” American student does not spend enough time studying in school today. Compared to most other industrialized nations, we are letting the kids get away with too little studying. \*\*

Bullfeathers. I never, and I do mean _never_, did any homework whatsoever until college. My 10-year old son now has 45 minutes to an hour of homework per day. I think that is entirely too much. How come all of my classmates were able to assimilate _more_ than what they’re presenting today without having to slave over tons of homework each day? (Side note: My son is gifted, and the homework they make him do is little other than busywork.)

Personal opinion here: If the teachers are good, they can present the information **in class.** Hours and hours of after school work means the teacher is slacking off.

No. I’m all for _less_ homework, longer summer vacations, and more accountability for teachers.

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**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-round-schooling/55287/22 "2001-02-22T04:15:11Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Rysdad \*  
> Personal opinion here: If the teachers are good, they can present the information **in class.** Hours and hours of after school work means the teacher is slacking off.  
> \*\*

Is this for primary school aged children or students in their final year? If it’s the latter, then bugger Australia, how do I become an American citizen? 😉

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**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-round-schooling/55287/23 "2001-02-22T04:22:40Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \*  
> \*\*Andygirl-
> 
> Are you seriously saying that employment for students is more important than education?\*\*

No, not at all. We never said that people had their education priorities straight.

I agree that it’s absurd, but that’s the arguement I’ve heard.

> [@](#):
>
> **Curiously, I vacationed in Delaware this year (Rehoboth, nice place and quiet for a resort town)**

Glad you like it. I live there. 😃 (Well, just outside of Reho. But I might as well live there.)

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**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-round-schooling/55287/24 "2001-02-22T07:41:49Z")

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The little **ricepads** go to a year-round school, where, as **doreen** noted, overcrowding forced the issue. At any given time, only 2/3 of the total student population is ‘on track’, while the other 1/3 is ‘off track’. Every two months, the third that is off comes on, and half of those that were on (that is, 1/3 of the total) rotates off.

At first, we really resisted the idea of year-round school. After we realized that our feelings were based on what we knew when we were kids (Sept-May school year) and not on any objective criteria, we decided to give it a chance. We’ve been part of the year-round curriculum for four years now, and we like it. The track our kids are on has them in school during the harsh weather months (both winter and summer), when it’s too miserably cold/wet or hot to be outside anyway, and they’re off track, we’re talkin’ Indian Summer and Spring - perfect for doing family things, not to mention off-season, tourism-wise.

Year-round school rarely means that every one of the little darlings is in school for 12 months…

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