In previous years, students and teachers alike have been asking for Monday and Tuesday off of the week of Thanksgiving. Teachers see an immense decrease in attendance on those two days and students feel that the work given on those days are pointless.
“I think it’s a really good idea to have this week off, just because: one, so many districts around us do the same thing; and two, there’s a little bit of an attendance drop the week of Thanksgiving anyways,” Michelle Weltz, English teacher, said.
Weltz did note that their pacing as a teacher has been off due to this change. Weltz is trying to find a way to make up for the lessons and says that they weren’t necessarily prepared for that. Weltz also said that it benefits the
students who travel to see family so that they don’t miss any work that is given during those two days.
“I love it. It’s amazing. I’ve been so exhausted these last couple of weeks. Especially with senioritis. I’m excited and so ready to sleep in,” Hailey Evans, 12 said.
Annika Wilson, 11, is also eager for the break. Wilson is happy that students get to spend more time with their families over the holiday. They also believe it is a much needed break for the students to be as mentally prepared for finals as possible.
In addition to the two days off that was added to fall break, there was also a professional development day added in April. Teachers have commented that April feels like a long stretch right before finals that leads to extreme burnout for teachers and students.
“Consideration for a day off in April was requested by both families and staff. Prior to making that change to the calendar, there were no scheduled days off between spring break and Memorial Day,” Christopher Villarreal, Director of Communications & Engagement, said.
To account for the days off, the district moved the first day of school and the return date from break up by one day. Even with this change, there are still 173 student contact days compared to the previous 174.
Students and teachers are very excited for a few more days off. Weltz believes that having some more time off in the spring has the potential to help students stay engaged and have some more motivation to keep working as hard as possible before finals.
