I disagree with Molly A. Carroll’s viewpoint about year-round school (Voice, Aug. 16).
As a student, I feel I have the right to speak my side of the story because this issue would obviously affect my life.
Year-round school would not be a very good idea. I don’t understand how it could reduce violence and vandalism. The kids who do this stuff will do it whether or not there is school in the summer.
And school is not the only safe place for kids. There have been all those school shootings–kids don’t need to be kept in school in order to keep them out of harm’s way.
Most kids use summertime to have a good time–not doing drugs or getting drunk but rather going to camp or vacationing in another country.
Many kids also use the long summer to visit family members. My friend visits her dad in New York every summer. It’s a totally different matter to spend two to three weeks on and off with a friend/family member than to spend an uninterrupted three months with that person.
Many kids also need the summer to work either part- or full-time jobs to earn extra money. If they had only two or three weeks off at a time, they wouldn’t be able to hold a job.
About continuous learning, I think it’s necessary for teachers to reteach some stuff so it stays in the brain. Sure, in the summer I forget a lot of stuff; but when we go over it in school again, I understand it much better the second time around. If you try to rush learning too fast, in the end you’re going to end up with nothing.
In the summertime, it’ll be really hard for kids to concentrate on learning. It’s hot outside. The weather’s nice. Kids want to go out and have fun, and their focus on schoolwork will be weak.
And Ms. Carroll also said that the 20-day-off period will allow students to hone their test-taking skills or to investigate other areas of interest. Well, wouldn’t a three-month-off period allow kids to do even more of that?
