DC Public and charter - is there interest in year round school?

[Anonymous]

If DCPS went to year round school I'd keep my kids home anyway during the summer months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:High SES family here - as it is, the DCPS school year is too long for our kids.

Why? What do all these people do during the summer?

[Anonymous]

The summer is way too short.

My kids do summer swim team and miss half of the season because they are still in school.

They also do sleep away camp. We drive to visit family for extended visits. They spend time without a schedule doing whatever floats our boat. They go fishing, kayaking, hiking. Ride their bikes for hours. We stay up late watching movies or playing Risk to the bitter end. We are spontaneous. They do a lot of wonderful nothing. They take on service projects. We relax. The list is long and varied, and I wouldn't give it up for the world.

I believe in summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High SES family here - as it is, the DCPS school year is too long for our kids.

Why? What do all these people do during the summer?

Relax, travel, go to camp, play, live unstructured lives for a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The summer is way too short.

My kids do summer swim team and miss half of the season because they are still in school.

They also do sleep away camp. We drive to visit family for extended visits. They spend time without a schedule doing whatever floats our boat. They go fishing, kayaking, hiking. Ride their bikes for hours. We stay up late watching movies or playing Risk to the bitter end. We are spontaneous. They do a lot of wonderful nothing. They take on service projects. We relax. The list is long and varied, and I wouldn't give it up for the world.

I believe in summer.

I have a 6-year-old and a full time job that doesn't have summer hours or telework options and gives me 2 weeks of paid vacation a year. During the summer, she is in camp for the same hours she's in school during the year, except she's arguably getting less out of the experience because it's not geared toward learning and ends up being "watching movies" that I pay $250-400/week for. Maybe I will feel differently when she is older and able to do more on her own, but summers are a pretty stressful time for us, trying to figure out how to provide DD with good experiences while not getting fired.

[Anonymous]

I am a big fan of year round school in theory, and I attended year-round schools for several years as a child. However, I would be opposed to it in my children's DCPS schools at this point. They go to very good DCPS schools, but even so, the curriculum is not rigorous enough. If they didn't have time to supplement their education with reading, discussions, and time to explore their interests more deeply, I would have to look for a different school situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The summer is way too short.

My kids do summer swim team and miss half of the season because they are still in school.

They also do sleep away camp. We drive to visit family for extended visits. They spend time without a schedule doing whatever floats our boat. They go fishing, kayaking, hiking. Ride their bikes for hours. We stay up late watching movies or playing Risk to the bitter end. We are spontaneous. They do a lot of wonderful nothing. They take on service projects. We relax. The list is long and varied, and I wouldn't give it up for the world.

I believe in summer.

I have a 6-year-old and a full time job that doesn't have summer hours or telework options and gives me 2 weeks of paid vacation a year. During the summer, she is in camp for the same hours she's in school during the year, except she's arguably getting less out of the experience because it's not geared toward learning and ends up being "watching movies" that I pay $250-400/week for. Maybe I will feel differently when she is older and able to do more on her own, but summers are a pretty stressful time for us, trying to figure out how to provide DD with good experiences while not getting fired.

You're sending your kids to the wrong camps if you're paying $400/week for them to watch movies. That price easily covers some very good camps in the DC area where kids are doing much more than just watching tv.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High SES family here - as it is, the DCPS school year is too long for our kids.

Why? What do all these people do during the summer?

Relax, travel, go to camp, play, live unstructured lives for a bit.

Rich people things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The summer is way too short.

My kids do summer swim team and miss half of the season because they are still in school.

They also do sleep away camp. We drive to visit family for extended visits. They spend time without a schedule doing whatever floats our boat. They go fishing, kayaking, hiking. Ride their bikes for hours. We stay up late watching movies or playing Risk to the bitter end. We are spontaneous. They do a lot of wonderful nothing. They take on service projects. We relax. The list is long and varied, and I wouldn't give it up for the world.

I believe in summer.

I have a 6-year-old and a full time job that doesn't have summer hours or telework options and gives me 2 weeks of paid vacation a year. During the summer, she is in camp for the same hours she's in school during the year, except she's arguably getting less out of the experience because it's not geared toward learning and ends up being "watching movies" that I pay $250-400/week for. Maybe I will feel differently when she is older and able to do more on her own, but summers are a pretty stressful time for us, trying to figure out how to provide DD with good experiences while not getting fired.

Then you may prefer to attend one of the year-round school options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The summer is way too short.

My kids do summer swim team and miss half of the season because they are still in school.

They also do sleep away camp. We drive to visit family for extended visits. They spend time without a schedule doing whatever floats our boat. They go fishing, kayaking, hiking. Ride their bikes for hours. We stay up late watching movies or playing Risk to the bitter end. We are spontaneous. They do a lot of wonderful nothing. They take on service projects. We relax. The list is long and varied, and I wouldn't give it up for the world.

I believe in summer.

I have a 6-year-old and a full time job that doesn't have summer hours or telework options and gives me 2 weeks of paid vacation a year. During the summer, she is in camp for the same hours she's in school during the year, except she's arguably getting less out of the experience because it's not geared toward learning and ends up being "watching movies" that I pay $250-400/week for. Maybe I will feel differently when she is older and able to do more on her own, but summers are a pretty stressful time for us, trying to figure out how to provide DD with good experiences while not getting fired.

Then you may prefer to attend one of the year-round school options.

We are at a year-round school. And yes, we do prefer it. My point was that not everyone is able to take significant amounts of time off in the summer to provide enrichment. I'd actually argue that MOST people are not able to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High SES family here - as it is, the DCPS school year is too long for our kids.

Why? What do all these people do during the summer?

Relax, travel, go to camp, play, live unstructured lives for a bit.

Rich people things.

Exactly. And then try to make people feel guilty that they can't support their version of an idyllic summer.

Some of us can't take a whole summer of work to live unstructured lives (or pay to send our children to do these things without us).

[Anonymous]

^^And some of us sacrifice to give iur kids unstructured time. I don't want kids in school year-round when it's bad policy but someone else finds it convenient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^And some of us sacrifice to give iur kids unstructured time. I don't want kids in school year-round when it's bad policy but someone else finds it convenient.

Make that: "I don't want *my* kids..."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^And some of us sacrifice to give iur kids unstructured time. I don't want kids in school year-round when it's bad policy but someone else finds it convenient.

Sanctimoniously congratulating yourself on your "sacrifices" when other people are simply remarking that most people can't take the whole summer off to stay home with their kids is awesome, though. Glad you feel comfortable with that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to take a week from summer vacation and use it for a Fall break.

That's about it.

This