Extending The Academic Year Essay Research Paper

Extending the Academic Year

There have been many discussions about whether or not the academic school year should be extended for high school students. Some think it will better prepare them for college; and others think that it won’t make a difference if the school year is extended. The school year shouldn’t be dragged on any longer than it already is. There are many points that lead to the conclusion why the academic school year should not be extended, such as, more stress on the student, the age and youth of the students, and financial issues with the public schools.

The academic year should not be longer than what it already is because it would bring on a great deal of stress for the high school student than what they already have. High school is already too much for students right now. When teachers go through their studies, they rush through them to try to complete the textbooks. I don’t think it has to do with completing the texts as much as it should have to do with helping the student learn. The students are so rushed with what they need to learn, that they have no time to actually let it set in their mind of what they learned. Society now has a quicker pace and it is forcing kids to grow older before their time. The main reason why people want the high school year to be extended is to prepare the students for college. Well, college students have more holiday breaks and a much longer summer break than high school students. How is a longer school year preparing the students for college? It doesn’t really prepare them for college. Nothing can actually help prepare a student for college until they actually get into college. Maybe if the studies in high schools weren’t so rushed and actually gave the student time to study and learn, then they would be more prepared for college.

High school students are still young and they need to enjoy it. Like I mentioned before, society is now forcing kids to be older than what they are. This is a perfect example for that. Extending the academic year does not give students the chance at all to be young and have their fun. It is making their lives more serious and forcing them to concentrate and get ready for college when really they should concentrate on still being young and enjoy it while they can. High school is really the only time for the students to have their fun before they graduate and start their real lives. Every kid should be able to have a chance to be young and not be forced into the future. I know I got to have the chance in high school to live my youth and enjoy it; but now that I am in college I realize that I need to settle down and I am glad that I was able to have my fun in high school. If a student is buckled down in their work constantly and don’t ever have the chance to have their fun, they may use that opportunity when they reach college.

The academic year being extended for high school students creates financial issues for public schools. It is already hard for public schools to afford new supplies and texts for their students. So why do some people think that they can extend the school year? How do they think they can come up with the money? Would the teachers want to work all year round with the little pay that they get? Teachers and faculty of public schools make small income and would most likely demand more for working throughout the summer. But if the schools already have a hard enough time with finances, they would not be able to raise pay for the faculty. Also, there has been a shortage of teachers in public schools over the past couple years; and they have also been quitting because of the low income or the way the school

wants them to do their lessons. Since this is still happening then it would be even harder to try to find more faculty for the summer. Another point is that many teachers take this job opportunity because, not only do they enjoy it, but also they probably enjoy their nice long summer vacation more than the students do. This is their time to get away from all the kids they have to see and deal with for over half of the year.

I think that there should be some kind of summer program for students who do want to be further educated. I think it should be the student’s choice of how they want to be educated and it would be a good opportunity for them to make their own decisions about their lives instead of society trying to run it for them. This issue should really be considered by the students themselves and people should listen to what they think. It is the student’s life and they should be able to control it, not someone else.