Parents and students from all over Chittenden County packed the Essex High School cafeteria last night to respond to a proposal that would permanently change the school calendar. Members of the Champlain Valley Superintendent’s Association were surrounded, literally. When their efforts to keep the meeting orderly — by getting attendees to write down their reactions on pieces of paper — failed, facilitators passed around mics instead.
The first in a series of four forums this month stayed mostly civil, but the parents who spoke up were largely against the idea of shortening the traditional summer vacation by two weeks to create three “intercessions” during the academic year. One of the goals of Calendar 2.0, which has been proposed for schools in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, is to increase the number of opportunities to identify and help struggling students.
The idea is that the intercessions would allow students who fall behind in classes to catch up, while giving other students a chance to pursue internships and enrichment opportunities.
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Just want to point out that it doesn’t shorten the summer by 2 weeks as keeps being said. It’s a 14 SCHOOL DAYS difference, so much more like 3 weeks. The task force is being disingenuous when they say “about 10 days” it’s exactly 14. Those 2 extra weeks in June, BTW would be 2 less weeks of prep for AP classes and 2 more weeks where kids in AP classes are done and have time to waste.
calendar 2.0, obviously devised by a bunch sitting around the table over the legal limit of 0.08
Instead of fighting against the school superintendents who are trying to improve our education system, why not try it, see if it helps or not, and stop whining about your summer vacation plans being ruined. I think this country deserves the mess, I don’t know why anyone wants to try and help anymore because all the thanks they ever get is people complaining about any type of change. It is a crying shame…
Absent an endorsement by our teachers, I don’t see this proposal as convincing.
All kids and their families should not have to suffer (and PAY, because make no mistake, this will cost a lot!) so that a few can “keep up”. It may be that slower-learners need intercessions, but not at the inconvenience and cost of the on-track learners.
Aside from the staggering issues of cost to working families for more child care coverage, scheduling child care, and taking family vacations, the central issue is not the calendar, but the superintendents themselves. Despite recapitulations from Pinckney and others, school board officials are suggesting to people locally that,
though not a “done deal” yet, the decision is wholly with the superintendents, and that it will happen, eventually. Apparently, our school boards have no influence or leverage with the superintendents, so we have no actual elected representation in fighting silly, costly, and duplicitous plans like this floated by overpaid administrators.
They should all be fired! We need superintendents who are in touch with families, not just with learning targets.
It’s frustrating and kind of frightening to think that people with so much power have so little accountability. or that our school boards seem to have no influence or
leverage.
Those June weeks are when a lot of specialized out of area sports development camps take place… So poorly thought out
Wake up on the wrong side of bed or something? No one is whining, we are simply expressing our doubts that this will do anything to get better outcomes. There is (as they themselves admit) zero evidence that it will. It is a colossal waste of time, effort, and taxpayer. (Yes YOUR) money to implement a new policy “just to say we did” if it does not have concrete improvements to education. AND what you so glibly call “summer plans” are special and important experiences for children, youth, and families that do help form productive and well rounded young adults, who HOPEFULLY have a way better attitude towards life than you do, susan05401!
This is one of the reasons why America has fallen behind so many other countries. School superintendents are not idiots, I am sure the majority are thoughtful, caring people trying to do a good job and they are not banding up to inconvenience parents. What have you done to help improve our education system? What ideas have you offered? You’re very good at slamming the ideas of others and insulting people, so please accept my sincere congratulations on your stellar American education.
There are very few “summer plans” that are true educational experiences that last 11-12 weeks, at least at the high school level. And at the elementary and mile school level there is absolutely no need for such a long break. The long summer vacation is an artifact from when we were all doing our own farming.
You have no idea of what I have done in my life, nor for our educational system, nor what suggestions I have offered. I am not “slamming” the superintendents’ idea; I am questioning it. I don’t disagree that they are trying to do their best. I am happy with their job so far, however, I find this proposal, and their lack of input from their own instructors, to be misguided.
BTW, I am not insulting you, I am objecting to your defeatist, angry tone and your insinuation that parents and teachers should just sit down and be quiet about a proposal when we haven’t seen any proof of its efficacy.
“Educational” can mean many different things. Children learn from varied experiences that illustrate and reinforce what they take in in the classroom… And there are STILL family farms in Vermont who need their kids help in summers…
Summer jobs are “educational” for HS students, they teach responsibility, money management, lack of entitlement, etc., etc.
Parents are not the experts at educating kids. In fact, judging by the poor quality of the raw materials (i.e., kids coming i.to the school system) that teachers are presented with these days, it seems that parents are doing a lousy job of educating their own children, preparing them to learn, and encouraging study. Empirically, then, kids should spend less time at home and more time in school.
I quote myself. “Input from their own INSTRUCTORS” emphasis added…
That said I firmly believe that when such a major change of scheduling is proposed, perhaps those making the decision are in such a vastly different stratum from many parents, getting their input on how it would affect them is not a bad thing… However badly you think of families… Studies do show that families who spend quality time together have kids less apt to fail, do drugs, have teen pregnancies,etc.
The “quality time” you refer to will not change if the summer break (i.e., educational dead zone) is shortened a bit. You’re reacting, not thinking.
Clearly you are either self employed, or have a stay at home parent. Summer options (that are good, not glorified over the top expensive -babysitting) exist, interim ‘vacation’ camps are either of the above (out of budget for most, or boring, non educational experiences)… Most two working parent households have a very finite number of vacation weeks between them, most of which are spent covering time off from school during the school year…So the choice 2.0 presents who can’t afford good camps (or maybe even bad) is let the kids stay home 1-2 extra weeks in front of crappy tv programming… Rather than have a family vacation/stay-cation. ie. family time.
Furthermore, how do they expect parents with two working parent to get their children to and from the “intercession”? Which they cannot say if they are full or half day, or if the schools will provide transportation? Many employers are not that flexible.
So no, I am THINKING of the good opportunities vs. the indoor, enclosed not-so-good ones given that where we live has many LESS good outdoor days during the school year, unless you are wealthy enough to be a skier. Many are not.
And REACTING to a dumb proposal.
You’ve certainly convinced me that you could use much more vacation time to cope with repressed hostility; three months is quite obviously not nearly enough. Good luck and thank you for helping me to feel grateful that I don’t have to work with someone like you, happy day!
We both work in my house. Full time. Maintaining the current, medieval school calendar with the overly-long summer break is not the answer to the problems you complain about.
summer breaks are 10 weeks not 11-12 weeks get your facts right!
I hope your not a parent then!!!!!!! My parents are truly awesome and have taught me to be an awesome person and I am an honor student, Also I enjoy my time at home with my family and friends thank you very much. 🙂