Can you spend more time in school than you already do? To increase learning time, President Obama has proposed a plan to extend the school year. People support this plan because it will close the achievement gap between the United States and other countries and it would help out working families.
Although it may seem like a good idea, extending the school day or year may cause more problems than it solves. Some of the problems it may cause are a diminished tourist economy, elimination of summer camps, and the increased cost of teachers working extended hours.
This plan may seem perfect to some people, but there are many flaws. One of the problems with this is the summer camps for schoolchildren will have problems with admission because, if the school year goes deeper into summer, children who go on vacation or who want to spend time with their families will not have time for camp. With low admissions, many of the summer camps will have to close. Hotels and tourist attractions will also be affected.
Also, with teachers working longer, the tuition and taxes will rise and families who are already paying high tuition may not be able to pay the new, even higher, price, and therefore, some schools will lose out financially.
The reasons people believe it is a good idea to extend school is because they believe it is a way to close the achievement gap or help out working families. Many people seem to believe that if we spend more time in school, the smarter we will get, but in my opinion, that is simply not the case. If we spend too much of our time in school, we will lose focus because we need time to rest. Breaks are necessary because they give children time to catch up on lost sleep, take their mind off of school, and reduce stress that comes with school.
There are others who believe we should extend the school day because then they would not have to worry about leaving their children alone at home after school, since the school day ends before the workday. However, families with businesses may be hurt more than helped by this plan. Businesses that need students who are on breaks to work as employees may have a problem with their loss of willing workers. If school goes longer into summer break, students will not have time to work.
It is easy to see there are many defects to the new education plan. Many people say that we should extend the school year, but I am with those who know it is a bad idea. Remember, teachers have to agree to work longer and lose time spent with their families, and, no matter what schoolchildren say, we are still kids and after working hard all year, we need a break. We need to spend time out of school to pursue other interests.
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