The number of student holidays is insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

I know a lot of teachers, between those who my kid has and friends and family . . . I don't know a single one who does not want a long summer break. Not 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

I know a lot of teachers, between those who my kid has and friends and family . . . I don't know a single one who does not want a long summer break. Not 1.

Hi, middle school teacher here. I don't want a long break. I'd rather multiple, short breaks throughout the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

I know a lot of teachers, between those who my kid has and friends and family . . . I don't know a single one who does not want a long summer break. Not 1.

Hi, middle school teacher here. I don't want a long break. I'd rather multiple, short breaks throughout the year.

+1. Also a MS teacher and have kids. I would prefer a significant summer break, but like 4 or 5 weeks and then some longer quarter/semester breaks. I think it would be more manageable from both a teacher and parent standpoint. I used to think I needed all summer to recharge, but in reality, those first few weeks of August are always miserably hot and humid and I spend them anxiously awaiting the new school year. I’d love to get out of school at the end of May, have the month of June (when the weather is often nice) and a little of July, and then head back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

I know a lot of teachers, between those who my kid has and friends and family . . . I don't know a single one who does not want a long summer break. Not 1.

Hi, middle school teacher here. I don't want a long break. I'd rather multiple, short breaks throughout the year.

+1. Also a MS teacher and have kids. I would prefer a significant summer break, but like 4 or 5 weeks and then some longer quarter/semester breaks. I think it would be more manageable from both a teacher and parent standpoint. I used to think I needed all summer to recharge, but in reality, those first few weeks of August are always miserably hot and humid and I spend them anxiously awaiting the new school year. I’d love to get out of school at the end of May, have the month of June (when the weather is often nice) and a little of July, and then head back.

I really like this idea, except I'd prefer more of July off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

I know a lot of teachers, between those who my kid has and friends and family . . . I don't know a single one who does not want a long summer break. Not 1.

Hi, middle school teacher here. I don't want a long break. I'd rather multiple, short breaks throughout the year.

Great. That's plus + for yours side? That does not change the views of many other teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

I know a lot of teachers, between those who my kid has and friends and family . . . I don't know a single one who does not want a long summer break. Not 1.

Hi, middle school teacher here. I don't want a long break. I'd rather multiple, short breaks throughout the year.

+1. Also a MS teacher and have kids. I would prefer a significant summer break, but like 4 or 5 weeks and then some longer quarter/semester breaks. I think it would be more manageable from both a teacher and parent standpoint. I used to think I needed all summer to recharge, but in reality, those first few weeks of August are always miserably hot and humid and I spend them anxiously awaiting the new school year. I’d love to get out of school at the end of May, have the month of June (when the weather is often nice) and a little of July, and then head back.

I really like this idea, except I'd prefer more of July off.

And this is why a substantially different calendar will not work. Everyone has an opinion or view as to what they want. . . . Long summer. Short summer. Short summer, but started so you have all July and not August. etc. etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why? Because we don’t need every religious holiday off. No secular country in the world gives so many religious holidays. Provide leave for teachers who celebrate (Sorry, but that’s actually quite generous already!) and allow kids to make up work. Yes, Christmas is over winter break. The majority of the county would take off so schools couldn’t be staffed and classrooms would be empty if they were staffed. Its also a federal holiday.

Well unfortunately staffing is now a huge issue. So if 2,000 teachers took over for the Jewish holidays plus other people take off for sickness or other reasons it becomes an operational issue. So unless parents start volunteering to sub once a month then it is a problem to have school. There are so many vacancies already that they will need to cover.

But Jewish teachers usually don't take the Jewish holidays off. I'm a non-practicing Jew, so it doesn't matter for me, but I have had many practicing Jewish colleagues in FCPS over the past 25 years. They taught on all high holy days without batting an eye. There are many, many different religious holidays throughout the school year. We really shouldn't be taking any of them off. Celebrations can wait until the evening (or happen in the morning before school -- like on Ash Wednesday for Catholics).

Ash Wednesday is a minor holiday. Catholics the their major holidays off every year. As a Catholic teacher if someone suggested I work Christmas or Easter I'd take leave too! My first responder husband works them and we figure it out, but I don't have that kind of job.

Wow! Are you really a Jew? Even non-practicing ones know that Yom Kippor absolutely cannot wait until the evening to, and I use this term very loosely since it a day of atonement, "celebrate". Rosh Hashona and Yom Kippor are such important holidays that schools in NYC are closed for those holidays. How can you not know this?

I'm the non-practicing Jew. I would say that I am Jewish by culture but that I am atheist by religion. I would prefer that our area schools not close for religious holidays. But then I also would prefer year-round school with 2 weeks off in Oct, 3 weeks off in Dec/Jan, 2 weeks off in April, and 5 weeks off in July. (And, yes, we should still have off on Labor Day, Thanksgiving, MLK Jr Day, Presidents Day, and Memorial Day.)

Another teacher here. The above would be the perfect school calendar!

[Anonymous]

Most people who want a year long school program are asking for a week break at the end of each term and a 6 week summer break. With FCPS schedule something like

End of Q1 - 1 week
End of Q2 - 2 weeks (Winter break)
End of Q3 - 1 week
End of Q4 - 7 weeks

Same amount of time off just broken up differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most people who want a year long school program are asking for a week break at the end of each term and a 6 week summer break. With FCPS schedule something like

End of Q1 - 1 week
End of Q2 - 2 weeks (Winter break)
End of Q3 - 1 week
End of Q4 - 7 weeks

Same amount of time off just broken up differently.

Those who are debating year round school ==> I'm guessing you are somewhat new to FCPS or weren't awake/coherent during the debate about starting school ONE WEEK prior to Labor Day ??? Let me set the stage for you.... there is a VERY VOCAL group of parents who belong to private swim clubs (i.e. those neighborhood pools that people join, sometimes after 6+ yrs of waiting on a list, sometimes you can join with no wait). And there is also a VERY VOCAL group of parents who have vacation homes on the Atlantic shore. How likely do you think it is that those parents (i.e. private pool parents and beach property parents) want to have year-round school? Hmmmm ... they are VERY VERY VERY against it. In fact, they were SO against it that they couldn't even support ONE WEEK of school before Labor Day. They have invested their money in a vacation home or in their pool membership. They do NOT want to give those up -- even a little fraction of it. It doesn't matter if many kids have NO vacation home and NO pool membership -- and that all kids would benefit from having more school at the beginning of the year, rather than late June. They do NOT care. What is important is pool time and using their 2nd homes.

I'm not kidding.

You are completely wasting your time even discussing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most people who want a year long school program are asking for a week break at the end of each term and a 6 week summer break. With FCPS schedule something like

End of Q1 - 1 week
End of Q2 - 2 weeks (Winter break)
End of Q3 - 1 week
End of Q4 - 7 weeks

Same amount of time off just broken up differently.

Those who are debating year round school ==> I'm guessing you are somewhat new to FCPS or weren't awake/coherent during the debate about starting school ONE WEEK prior to Labor Day ??? Let me set the stage for you.... there is a VERY VOCAL group of parents who belong to private swim clubs (i.e. those neighborhood pools that people join, sometimes after 6+ yrs of waiting on a list, sometimes you can join with no wait). And there is also a VERY VOCAL group of parents who have vacation homes on the Atlantic shore. How likely do you think it is that those parents (i.e. private pool parents and beach property parents) want to have year-round school? Hmmmm ... they are VERY VERY VERY against it. In fact, they were SO against it that they couldn't even support ONE WEEK of school before Labor Day. They have invested their money in a vacation home or in their pool membership. They do NOT want to give those up -- even a little fraction of it. It doesn't matter if many kids have NO vacation home and NO pool membership -- and that all kids would benefit from having more school at the beginning of the year, rather than late June. They do NOT care. What is important is pool time and using their 2nd homes.

I'm not kidding.

You are completely wasting your time even discussing this.

As we saw with the extended school closure fiasco, what parents want is irrelevant one way or the other. They don’t listen to parents. The whole reason we don’t have “year-round school” (there is still a summer break in year round school btw, it’s just more like 4-6 weeks instead of 10 weeks) is because it’s bad for the travel and tourism sectors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

I know a lot of teachers, between those who my kid has and friends and family . . . I don't know a single one who does not want a long summer break. Not 1.

Hi, middle school teacher here. I don't want a long break. I'd rather multiple, short breaks throughout the year.

Great. That's plus + for yours side? That does not change the views of many other teachers.

I actually think most teachers would go for this. Right now they prefer the summer breaks because it's how their kids love your structured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people who advocate for year round school live in fantasy land. Are you willing to go become a teacher?! They can’t even get enough teachers for summer school what makes you think they want to teach year round? Teachers love summer!

I'm the poster who expressed my desire for year-round school upthread a bit. I actually am a teacher in FCPS. Teachers love breaks, not necessarily long summers. With my proposed schedule, students would still be in school for 180 days (and teachers for 194 days).

I know a lot of teachers, between those who my kid has and friends and family . . . I don't know a single one who does not want a long summer break. Not 1.

Hi, middle school teacher here. I don't want a long break. I'd rather multiple, short breaks throughout the year.

Great. That's plus + for yours side? That does not change the views of many other teachers.

I actually think most teachers would go for this. Right now they prefer the summer breaks because it's how their kids love your structured.

Cool. I guess I live(d) in the only pyramid(s) where every single teacher likes their long summers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most people who want a year long school program are asking for a week break at the end of each term and a 6 week summer break. With FCPS schedule something like

End of Q1 - 1 week
End of Q2 - 2 weeks (Winter break)
End of Q3 - 1 week
End of Q4 - 7 weeks

Same amount of time off just broken up differently.

Those who are debating year round school ==> I'm guessing you are somewhat new to FCPS or weren't awake/coherent during the debate about starting school ONE WEEK prior to Labor Day ??? Let me set the stage for you.... there is a VERY VOCAL group of parents who belong to private swim clubs (i.e. those neighborhood pools that people join, sometimes after 6+ yrs of waiting on a list, sometimes you can join with no wait). And there is also a VERY VOCAL group of parents who have vacation homes on the Atlantic shore. How likely do you think it is that those parents (i.e. private pool parents and beach property parents) want to have year-round school? Hmmmm ... they are VERY VERY VERY against it. In fact, they were SO against it that they couldn't even support ONE WEEK of school before Labor Day. They have invested their money in a vacation home or in their pool membership. They do NOT want to give those up -- even a little fraction of it. It doesn't matter if many kids have NO vacation home and NO pool membership -- and that all kids would benefit from having more school at the beginning of the year, rather than late June. They do NOT care. What is important is pool time and using their 2nd homes.

I'm not kidding.

You are completely wasting your time even discussing this.

I get that. I am well aware. That doesn't mean that I won't advocate for a change. It won't happen but that doesn't mean that I need to accept it and not participate in the conversation.

[Anonymous]

The majority of school districts in the US DON’T do year-round schooling, what makes you think FCPS would be a leader in that area? Especially when none of the surrounding districts do it.