Anonymous wrote:The state requires that the school year is 180 days. If you want more days for Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, would you rather the school year started earlier that the last week of August or went later, to the last week of June? It's got to come from somewhere.

Take a few days from spring break! No everyone can/needs to go away for 10 days!

We teachers have families, too, and we'd LOVE to head out a day or two early to spend more time with them.

But guess what? We're in school the day before, attempting to teach to a 1/3 of the class.

So out of bitterness you decide to screw the students that aren't there? Why not take the day as opportunity to do review work with a nice sized class where you can actually spend time with the students?

We teachers have families, too, and we'd LOVE to head out a day or two early to spend more time with them.

But guess what? We're in school the day before, attempting to teach to a 1/3 of the class.

They're not random-they coincide with the end of a marking period. Teacher inservice days in MCPS are for the preparation of report cards. They have to be done when they are done.

Also, how would your plan affect teachers, who like you, also have families who they may want/need to travel to see?

If you have to travel, pull your kid out of school. Just don't complain that it's not an excused absence or that they missed an assignment because you wanted an earlier flight or to get on the road early to beat traffic.

"My son's teachers have previously reviewed material and reinforced topics that some kids didn't quite "get." I think the days leading up to T-giving are actually quite valuable from a reinforcement standpoint.

There is nothing wrong with math/spelling/reading games, either. Anything that reinforces learning is good in my opinion. "

that sounds good. a movie does not.

Agree that they should not be in school day before the holiday. They can make them teacher in service days and let us send the kids to school the other days that come at much less inconvenient times. As a PP noted, they will use the same number of days anyway so it is not an issue of covering it with leave - it will happen at some point. So make those days in service days and allow the kids to be off at a time that works GREAT for many families and far better than the random fall or spring days they normally pick.

The state requires that the school year is 180 days. If you want more days for Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, would you rather the school year started earlier that the last week of August or went later, to the last week of June? It's got to come from somewhere.

A lot of people can't easily provide care for their kids if the breaks were longer. Part of it is the demographics. It's hard enough for me to juggle, and I have paid leave. Imagine those who don't.

My son's teachers have previously reviewed material and reinforced topics that some kids didn't quite "get." I think the days leading up to T-giving are actually quite valuable from a reinforcement standpoint.

There is nothing wrong with math/spelling/reading games, either. Anything that reinforces learning is good in my opinion.

Anonymous wrote:

Its getting to be a tradition in MCPS for parents to keep their beloved ones home on the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas break. How this started I don't know but if I was a teacher I'd teach new material and then test on it when they got back.

I think the problem is that MCPS has such short breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Its crazy that they are in school the day before Christmas and up until Christmas Eve for Winter break which makes it virtually impossible to travel with kids to farther out places to visit relatives.

MCPS could give 1-2 days more break time or stick to the current schedule but relax the policy on unexcused absences,

I agree completely. When rules are too stringent it is an invitation for families to break them. Call it civil disobedience.

Its getting to be a tradition in MCPS for parents to keep their beloved ones home on the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas break. How this started I don't know but if I was a teacher I'd teach new material and then test on it when they got back.

I think the problem is that MCPS has such short breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Its crazy that they are in school the day before Christmas and up until Christmas Eve for Winter break which makes it virtually impossible to travel with kids to farther out places to visit relatives.

MCPS could give 1-2 days more break time or stick to the current schedule but relax the policy on unexcused absences,

They could play fun math games...oh wait MCPS doesn't do math anymore.

Its getting to be a tradition in MCPS for parents to keep their beloved ones home on the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas break. How this started I don't know but if I was a teacher I'd teach new material and then test on it when they got back.

It should be a regular school day, albeit maybe without any tests or major presentations that can't be handed in early. Just because some parents choose not to send their kids to school doesn't mean it should be a throwaway day for everyone.

My vote is that 2nd grade should definitely do in class presentations of book dioramas

Let's assume that between 15%-25% of the class will miss the day before break. What do you want your child's elementary school teacher to be doing in class? Teaching new material? Showing a movie? Reading a story?