School calendar fight continues

If given the chance, I think people would argue about when to recognize Christmas.
Surely there would be someone out there who would spout all the reasons why our biggest holiday shouldn’t be so close to the end of the year. Someone else would likely point out it would be better to honor the birth of Jesus when the weather is warmer.
That brings us to what has become a much less festive ‘ but still regular ‘ tradition in Warren County. There are no gifts involved, just the annual argument about our school calendar.
This time of year, we spring forward to observe daylight saving time. And like clockwork, we can set our watches to the fact there will be controversy surrounding which school calendar to adopt to better educate our children.
There was a school board meeting last night at Warren County Middle School that centered around which school calendar to adopt. And like that three-pack of underwear I can always expect to find somewhere under the Christmas tree, there were the same tired arguments at the meeting.
‘ Our kids need a long summer.
‘ Our kids and teachers need more frequent breaks to avoid burnout.
‘ Alternative calendars make it tough on child care.
It’s amazing how much energy is exerted to determine which 180 days of the year school is in session. Just as amazing is the reasons people concoct to support their preference. For the first time ever, I heard a person recite a Bible verse last night in support of a school calendar with a longer summer break.
After following this issue for the better part of a decade, I’ve reached this conclusion: A person’s belief on how to best educate our children is directly proportional to how much they like to swim.
The best idea I’ve heard from this year’s calendar squabble is it appears the entire school system, Bobby Ray Elementary included, will once again follow the same calendar. I like this move because I don’t agree with allowing one school to operate in its own little world.
It was fine on a trial basis, but the experiment stage has long since passed. Pick a calendar for Bobby Ray and the rest of the school system and go with it.
It was also mentioned that the school system might be wise to adopt a two-year calendar to prevent this annual slugfest. While I think most people would be agreeable to this concept, Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale said the state only accepts school calendars on a yearly basis, which stops such an idea in its tracks.
Two points I have long maintained were also mentioned last night. One is that the school calendar really has no bearing on the quality of education a child receives. If you want to ramp up the curriculum, that’s one thing. If you want to juggle around school days for the sake of argument, that’s another.
The other is that the so-called concept of year-round school is a great misconception. Regardless of what calendar is adopted, there will be 180 days of school. No matter how you slice it, there’s no way to make an 180-day calendar stretch around the whole year unless you go a month, and take off a month.
I think I’ve heard every school calendar argument in the book and my stance has never changed. If we truly aspire to improve our school system, we should devote our energy to what is being taught and how. It doesn’t matter if that material is taught before or after Labor Day.
James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].