Why is Winter Break so short?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much grading and reporting time is really needed these days with on-line grading?

You clearly have no idea what it's like to be a teacher. I teach at a private school but my kids go to MCPS. Those teachers work like dogs. Imagine reading 35 essays per class in 4 or 5 classes per day. It's annoying to me that my DC's only write a few papers/term but it takes an enormous amount of time to grade essays, make corrections and constructive comments, have the kid rework it and then read it again with more feedback. This is not a fill in the blank type of process. I could go on but I won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much grading and reporting time is really needed these days with on-line grading?

A LOT. Record-keeping may be online, but teachers still have to grade the work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at next years school calendar. Spring break is 10 days, and every monday holiday they get the Tuesday off too. But winter break is still a week.

OP here. That explains a lot. MCPS has more single days throughout the year than we have and more early releases such as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which we just have off entirely. I presume early releases are still counted as school days. Our school year is 180 days, but by starting the third week in August we can have the earlier Winter break and still get out by Memorial Day. I'm going to miss that! However, I know schools are better there, which is a large factor in our moving.

[Anonymous]

Yes, early release days count to the 180 minimum.

With as many one-off days as MCPS gives, the kids "have to go to school at some point." I'm totally fine with this week being a school week. I'm also excited this school year ends so "early" on June 12 thanks in part to Yom Kippur being on a Saturday, Christmas on a Sunday (it'd push all the other days, including New Years back another day on the calendar), and the primary election over Spring Break.

OP, where are you living now?

[Anonymous]

I am the one who asked about the days off for grading. I did not mean to imply that teachers do not work hard at the task of grading papers...but that does not seem to occur only on the last day of the quarter. If there is on-line grading ( and didn't realize that was not in all ES's) and a teacher is not behind then a day at the end does not seem required and would not help an edit/rewrite prcoess which needs to occur over time. Now I have dealth with a teacher or two that gave nothing back all quarter and clearly spent that day feverishly grading..but that was not ideal.

[Anonymous]

Take trips when there is no school and during the 10 weeks students have off in the summer.

This isn't practical with large extended families. Ours lives up and down the West Coast. They are all several hours from each other, some 3-4 and others 10-12. They all get together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. There is nothing my kids love more than running around with a pack of cousins. You don't have the same experience visiting 2-4 at a time and it would take weeks to travel separately to visit each one over the summer. This isn't practical if you work and it isn't the same as the whole family getting together.

Yes, MCPS has 10 days at Spring Break but they go back the Tuesday after Easter. This means that we are flying out on Monday the day after Easter and the kids will be exhausted from the long flight the day before and time change on their first day back to school. At least they have the Monday off or we would be running out of Grandma's house after finding one egg to the airport.

[Anonymous]

Agree with 16:32. Our kids don't need long breaks from school. I wish the summer break is much shorter.

[Anonymous]

Agree with 16:32. Our kids don't need long breaks from school. I wish the summer break is much shorter.

It depends on the school. If you go to a private school with lots of extra classes like art, drama, PE multiple times a week, and more stimulating activities then I would agree. However, MCPS is a soul sucking experience for kids. Summer is a great time to get the physical activity kids need, science, activities and all the other things that are missing in school today.I think that my kids learn more from some of their camps now than school. They certainly have more fun.

[Anonymous]

Many students in the school where I teach are missing multiple days this week (some are missing the entire week) so they can go on trips. Not the visiting family for the holidays type of trip. I'm talking cruises, time at the ski house in Colorado, etc. trips involving just the immediate family. I personally find that ridiculous and will continue to teach new material the entire week. No homework over the break though. A break is a break!

Thank you! My SIL is a teacher and at her school they show movies the day before a holiday and she avoids new material that week. That's not fair to the majority of kids who are in school.

[Anonymous]

I usually lose 1/3 of my class the 2-3 days before Winter Break. I don't teach anything new those days b/c those kids would miss it and the others would forget it all before the test in Jan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, early release days count to the 180 minimum.

With as many one-off days as MCPS gives, the kids "have to go to school at some point." I'm totally fine with this week being a school week. I'm also excited this school year ends so "early" on June 12 thanks in part to Yom Kippur being on a Saturday, Christmas on a Sunday (it'd push all the other days, including New Years back another day on the calendar), and the primary election over Spring Break.

OP, where are you living now?

I am in Texas, which mandates the school break schedules for all public schools. For example, the entire state has the same week in March off for Spring Break. The upside - less expensive for travel than the Easter break - the downside, crowds everywhere if you stay in-state for vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I usually lose 1/3 of my class the 2-3 days before Winter Break. I don't teach anything new those days b/c those kids would miss it and the others would forget it all before the test in Jan.

When you teach AP classes you don't have that luxury. Note to parents...don't pull your kids from school before a vacation begins. The learning they miss is YOUR fault!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Take trips when there is no school and during the 10 weeks students have off in the summer.

This isn't practical with large extended families. Ours lives up and down the West Coast. They are all several hours from each other, some 3-4 and others 10-12. They all get together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. There is nothing my kids love more than running around with a pack of cousins. You don't have the same experience visiting 2-4 at a time and it would take weeks to travel separately to visit each one over the summer. This isn't practical if you work and it isn't the same as the whole family getting together.

Yes, MCPS has 10 days at Spring Break but they go back the Tuesday after Easter. This means that we are flying out on Monday the day after Easter and the kids will be exhausted from the long flight the day before and time change on their first day back to school. At least they have the Monday off or we would be running out of Grandma's house after finding one egg to the airport.

Then homeschool.

Seriously, the school system is what it is. It has to comply with state laws, it has to give certain days off (professional days, Jewish High Holy Days). If you can't deal with that, then homeschool or send your kids to private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I usually lose 1/3 of my class the 2-3 days before Winter Break. I don't teach anything new those days b/c those kids would miss it and the others would forget it all before the test in Jan.

When you teach AP classes you don't have that luxury. Note to parents...don't pull your kids from school before a vacation begins. The learning they miss is YOUR fault!

I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Agree with 16:32. Our kids don't need long breaks from school. I wish the summer break is much shorter.

It depends on the school. If you go to a private school with lots of extra classes like art, drama, PE multiple times a week, and more stimulating activities then I would agree. However, MCPS is a soul sucking experience for kids. Summer is a great time to get the physical activity kids need, science, activities and all the other things that are missing in school today.I think that my kids learn more from some of their camps now than school. They certainly have more fun.

What about families with limited income which cannot afford to send their kids to camps and costly afterschool classes? Not everybody has resources to do things you listed above. It is too bad that many people give up on the school system and have to spend their own money.