The bombshell dropped on my grandkids two and a half weeks ago. “When does school start?” I asked their respective parents. “July 26! Just three more weeks!” was the cheerful reply. “Three weeks!” one grandson repeated in horror. “But summer
The bombshell dropped on my grandkids two and a half weeks ago.
“When does school start?” I asked their respective parents.
“July 26! Just three more weeks!” was the cheerful reply.
“Three weeks!” one grandson repeated in horror. “But summer just started!” I know what he means. I haven’t even done a “here comes summer” column yet and it’s already over, at least for students enrolled in most Kaua’i eastside and north shore schools.
Last August, those schools adopted a modified calendar, which chopped off a chunk of summer vacation and sprinkled it into mini-breaks throughout the school year.
The concept, educators believe, will cut down on the amount of learning kids lose during a traditional three-month summer break.
Teachers have for years been frustrated by the time wasted each fall on bringing students back to where they were when school ended at the start of summer.
Under the new schedule, kids don’t lose any time off. It’s just spread out more evenly, rather than being lumped into one long, glorious vacation.
It’s a great idea that makes sense, but that’s small consolation for at least one dejected bunch facing their first abbreviated summer.
I can’t say I blame the kids.
I can still remember a youngster eagerly anticipating as my own summer vacations. No books, no school, just three whole months of camping trips, treks down to Wailua Beach and hikes up the Sleeping Giant.
As a young parent, I actually looked forward to the start of summer each year because it brought relief from the hassles of making sure there were enough lunch quarters to go around or clean t-shirts with a minimum of red-dirt stains.
I was also eager to have more time to spend with my boys. That, of course, usually lasted about three days, long enough for me to remember how much trouble four lively, growing boys can get into when they have too much time on their hands.
It was around that same time that I also discovered summer had a downside beyond the obvious.
I was one of those parents who made a point of being involved with school whenever I could find the time. Because of that, I saw first-hand what teachers had to deal with at the start of school each year. The dramatic impact of going three months without focusing brain cells on the process of learning was disturbing, even to a parent who wasn’t formally trained as an educator.
Whether they see it that way or not, today’s generation of students is fortunate to have the chance to try the modified school calendar.
Perhaps when they have children of their own, they’ll realize just how lucky they are.
By then, the report card will also be in on how much difference, if any, the modified school calendar did make on the educational well-being of our most important resource.
For now, it seems to be our best shot.
Parents (and grandparents) need to adjust to the minor inconveniences of finding childcare and having a smaller window to work with when making travel or camping plans.
If the modified calendar accomplishes what its designers hope it will, the investment will pay off for generations to come.
Sorry, kids.
Rita De Silva can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 241) or rdesilva@pulitzer.net.
