Letters to the Editor-Educators developed school calendar to benefit students
There is much more to education than summer vacation. There has been a fair amount of talk around town recently about the proposed school calendar developed by school system administrators, principals and teachers. A few points need to be clarified:
1) I have heard a number of people complain they do not want the ‘year-round’ calendar. The proposed calendar is not ‘year-round.’ It is essentially the same calendar as used in previous years, except it includes a one-week fall break.
2) The calendar was developed by the education professionals we as a community employ to teach our children ‘ central office administrators, school principals and K-12 teachers. This calendar was developed by the people who understand the needs in our schools today, who are knowledgeable about our students, about our curriculum requirements, and have the hands-on experience necessary to make informed decisions about our schools.
This calendar was developed to optimize the number of instructional days prior to TCAP, to suit the high school semester situation, and to accommodate sports and other school activities. This calendar was not developed to accommodate summer recreational activities or the personal preferences of individuals. This calendar was developed to provide the best schedule for the education and success of the students in Warren County.
3) The calendar developed by our teachers, principals and administrators acknowledges that a break in the fall reduces discipline referrals during this time of year and improves the educational climate in the classroom. Data from our own school system shows this to be the case. This has been recognized by school systems across the U.S. Closest to home, the Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Grundy and Sequatchie school systems all utilize a one-week break in the fall.
4) When considering next year’s school calendar, the instructional and educational reasons for its design are the elements to be evaluated and considered, not just how it affects summer vacation.
Dr. Nick Gawel
Collinwood Drive
McMinnville