As a commuter to McDaniel College, I don’t spend much time on campus outside of classes. Therefore, the relevance of after school activities doesn’t apply to me as much. Keeping current with events happening on campus grounds, is often a daunting task. However in the spirit of class participation, I decided to create awareness that fall break is upon us. Most students look forward to fall and spring break. It’s a time of rest and relaxation and perhaps for a few, a chance to get ahead on assignments. These breaks are often something that I personally look forward too, furthermore assuming that this is the same for other students as well. I took the liberty to create awareness for coming fall break, by utilizing creative flyers that resemble
So here I am, not sure if I’m trying to stretch out my final days in a school that has taught me so much, or waiting for a 90-day-straight school-free period. I guess I want to savor these final days with some students that I just met, and some that I’ve known for 3 years because this may be the last time that I see them.
The 2nd quarter consisting of November, December, and January will be a little less busy. Just like last quarter I will continue to contact my juniors, seniors and HS graduates, and process all lead into RZ. During this quarter I will focus on getting involved with my winter sports teams. I will also be sure to set up a Veterans Day event at my school, inviting all HS faculty members with emphases on those who are veterans. I will also help out in the community in the form of food drives and charity work during the holiday
Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Our world is fueled by knowledge of every person who lives, and who has lived. Now there is controversy over when our students should be learning, and when they should be on break. While many schools are switching to a year-round school calendar in order to try and increase student achievement, the traditional 10 month calendar should be the preferred format due to structure of school programs, organization, and higher academic results.
Spring Break is a time where you get to relax and spend time off from your teachers and classmates. The two things I liked was getting to spend time with my team and getting eighth place at a state meet.
When did most of your best childhood memories occur? Probably during summer break! Now think if those memories had not happened to you because of school. Some schools now are going off of the traditional break schedule and are turning over to year round schooling. Students need time to rest, students need time for other activities and kids need time to spend with their family.. Schools should keep a traditional school calendar for many reasons.
"The only ones who don't lose are the upper 10 to 15 percent of the student body. Those tend to be gifted, college-bound, they're natural learners who will learn wherever they are" (Smyth 7). This is a statement from an article written by Julie Carr Smyth about how much knowledge is lost over summer because of the amount of education-free time during the break. Smyth's article also state so that "The National Summer Learning Association cites decades of research that shows students' test scores are higher in the same subjects at the beginning of the summer than at the end" (Smyth 6). If the National Summer Learning Association already has research showing that knowledge is lost over summer break, why do we still have such a long break in between school years? All students would agree that every school year goes on the same as the one before: you start the school year reviewing everything you previously learned, then you spend the rest of the year learning new lessons just for them to slip out of your mind again when you get back to school the next year after summer break. It seems as if the only activities that students remember from their summer breaks are the parties, vacations, and Netflix series they spent their time on. That is not how it should be. Shortening the gap between the summer school months will in turn strengthen student education. It won't allow them to lose as much previous education as a long summer break would. A longer school year will in turn decrease education loss, increase productivity year round in students, and provide the simple necessities of daily life such as food for some unfortunate students.
“There is so much pressure on setting up the classroom and getting ready for the kids to return. So often, staff development is not fully utilized by all teachers or is not the best it could be since the teachers feel such pressure to get into their classrooms.”( Towler)Where is is no time for the teacher to get fully really for the students after the break is over. Without the time to clean up the classroom and meeting for the new school year. With the many breaks it can be a very choppy year that will hurt to the student. Patricia McCracken who went to school in a year round school said,
If kids know that there is a break within sight, then they might try harder and perform better. It was stated in text 1, paragraph 3,”They didn’t have the bored, glazed over looks of the kids who had been in school for weeks, with no breaks in sight.” This also can make the kids more engaged if they aren’t burnt out from going a long time without a break. This makes a teacher's job easier , if all the kids are listening and engaged. But, although these breaks are refreshing, it also refreshes your memory. Teachers would get more upset by teaching something, and immediately having their kids forget it . In text 2, paragraph 5, it states,” Although one of the main reasons for switching to year round schools is to improve student achievement, there is no concrete proof that students improve academically.” If there are no benefits to change to year round school, then why do
You’re coming back from a well needed break from school and you feel invigorated and ready to start. The first few weeks are the hardest to adjust to because your brain hasn’t been used throughout the break. The dilemma with breaks, such as summer break, is that one loses valuable information from past academic courses that are essential to ones progress towards higher education. Imagine a whole year without learning and then coming back to intense rigorous classes at a University. Seniors at high schools over the nation have the opportunity of taking a year off before committing to a college. This is known as a Gap Year; instead of directly enrolling into a University many students feel the need to take a break before starting their education towards their future career. Yes, a Gap Year does sound pleasing and beneficial, but in the long run it can be damaging towards ones future. Students should be aware of the ramification a Gap Year brings, such as, the possibility for enrolling in a graduate school is lower, academic growth is reduced, and social obstacles become present.
Summer vacation is a very important part of a student's life. Every monday a need for a break is expressed as students fall asleep in first hour and drag from one class to another. As a student myself, the only reason why I can handle going to school five days a week is because of the light at the end of the tunnel: friday and summer. My need for summer is like Mrs Johnston's need for coffee: I won’t last long before I feel like I’m going to die without it.
Theater 180 addressed the quest question of how do people understand and engage in community life? Through this class I’ve gained a better understanding of what civic engagement is. At the start of this semester I had very minimal knowledge about civic engagement. As far as I knew civic engagement was just volunteering but nothing much beyond that. With this class I have learned that civic engagement is much more than just volunteer work.
Colleges and universities such as Harvard encourage students by suggesting students to take time off before they start school (Kern, 2010). The current President’s daughter Malia Obama is taking a gap year before Harvard and more students have been encouraged from this. Taking a gap year differs in the student. If one does not plan thoroughly and prepares for the gap year, the results could be devastating, but if planning is done right, students excel
During the spring semester, there are two more large gaps between breaks, one of which is also over two months long. Although weekends do help, these are often used for studying and homework and do little to ease the students' stress. Many students begin to dislike their classes because of the stress they cause, and as a result, some put less effort into their studies. Breaks allow students some time off from their classes to relax so that they can come back refreshed. Another reason breaks are important is that they give students time to spend with their families.
We all need a break from school, whether its going from high school into college, or during college. Even though there’s a risk of losing momentum after a long layoff from school, its an opportunity to regroup and explore more before taking that next big step into college, having figured out what you want to do in the future. Not only will you able to rest your brain for what’s upcoming, this allows to be fully confident on a major that interests the student, which allows for an easy transition into their careers, and they can have a chance to explore the world at their free will without be strained.
WNCN Staff. “The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities.” WNCN: News and Weather. WNCN, 07 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.