School Breaks

In a world that is becoming increasingly governed by changes in the weather, I’ve been wondering why schools aren’t taking the cue and rearranging their schedules.  We currently go to school September through June because a majority of the country was once farmland and schooling was arranged around the planting and harvesting seasons.  In rural areas, some schools still set their calenders by those restraints so that students can help out on their family farms.

With school districts basically hemorrhaging money, I wonder why they haven’t looked at changing their calenders so that they spend less on heat or air conditioning.  If you’re going to give the students 12 weeks off of school a year* (that’s a total including Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks as well as random holidays), why not set the calender up so that schools in Chicago are off in the winter when it’s most expensive to heat the buildings and schools in Florida are off in mid-summer when it’s most expensive to cool them?  Schools in areas where climate is less of a factor can go all year, with two week breaks scattered throughout (or whatever crazy schedule they decide is right for them).

 *In Philadelphia, the breaks are loaded in the beginning of the year.  We didn’t start until Sept. 10th, and after that, the breaks are loaded in the beginning of the year with one or two days off a month, a half day almost every other week for professional development, two days for Thanksgiving, a week and a half for winter break, and a week for spring break.

High School Majors

Schools in Florida are thinking about making high school Freshman declare majors and take classes according to what they want to do in the future. Though I agree with the idea, I think making a 9th grader make a decision that could effect the rest of his or her life is insane. Many College freshman bounce around from major to major, unsure of what they want to do. In many cases, it’s because they weren’t offered a variety of electives in high school to help them choose their career path. Florida says they’re doing this to combat drop-outs, but as a former teacher in Florida schools, I can honestly say that students aren’t dropping out because they aren’t challenged. Those kids stay in school even if they are bored because they want to succeed and get into a good college. The kids that drop out are the ones who can’t read, who have problems at home, who are involved in gang activities, or who have learning disabilities that have not been identified or are debilitating. How do I know? I worked in drop-out prevention.

Some high school students should be able to choose a major in their Junior year of high school, but it’s not suitable for ALL students. There are those who would be more suited to a technical education, and students should be given that option as well. They should be able to take electives that relate to their subject, but should also be able to change their major if they find they are no longer interested (which is what Florida is suggesting). Forcing a student to stay with a major and minor they’ve decided they hate would do more to make them drop out of school than it would to keep them in class. Students should also be able to take classes that do not relate to their major if they are interested. Preparing students for a career path is an excellent idea, especially for students who are less motivated, however, it does take away from the broad education that students are supposed to get in high school.

Failing the Future

Most students these days are told that they should go to college, that education is the path to a better life, and that the experience alone is worth the application fee. Unfortunately, this has become a major problem for America’s universities, students, and financial organizations. Only a little over half of American students actually graduate, and while they are working hard on their degree they are forced to deal with students who don’t take their education seriously and faculty who have become jaded by the everyone-can-go-to-college generation.

While I agree that money should never be an obstacle to an education, I also believe that students who receive grant money or other “free” money should have to pay it back in full if they do not graduate. It is not fair for that money to be unavailable to serious students who are willing to work hard and go the extra mile because some guidance counselor convinced a kid with an IQ of 80 that he or she could make it through college. In order to to this, we must admit that students should have to reach a certain degree of academic excellence to be admitted into a university.

There is no shame in technical schools or entering the work force immediately out of high school if that is what is suited to your ability level. In the PC world we live in, no one wants to admit that not everyone is suited for a college education. Students who have not shown academic prowess and dedication in high school should be required to do so before entering a University. In Texas, and yes, I agree with something that’s happening in Texas, the top ten percent of the class (though it should probably be the top 15) in every school across the state receives automatic entrance into the state school of their choice. In Florida, the top 20 percent of the class is guaranteed admission. This is a great system. It ensures that only academically motivated students are assured entrance into college.

The others have to fight for it, and rightfully so. We have to bring the competitive edge back into our schools and take it off of our playing fields. For some reason, our students, especially the ones living in a state of poverty, have gotten the idea that a good throwing arm is better admission insurance than straight A’s. Increasing the standard for a higher education can only benefit the country as a whole. Let’s stop pretending that you need a college degree to be the Housewares Manager at Wal-Mart.