Petition for the August 1st Calendar

#92: Guest - Re: Re: Calendar

New York City calendar is online.  They started on Wednesday, September 8th (yes after Labor Day-then got the 9th and 10th off for Rosh Hashanah-not sure I understand that-why not just start on the 13th?) they will end school on Tuesday, June 28th (I counted a total of 182 days).  They are out of school for the following "breaks"

• Oct. 11-Columbus Day
• Nov. 2-Election Day
• Nov. 11-Veterans Day
• Nov. 25 and 26-Thanksgiving
• Dec. 24-31-Christmas (out the day before Christmas)
• Jan. 17-MLK
• Jan. 31-end of term-no school for High School (exams here I assume after the break-bad idea)
• Feb.1-beginning of Spring Term
• Feb. 21-25-Midwinter Break
• April 18-26-Spring Break (week of Good Friday-Good Monday)
• May 30-Memorial Day
• June 9-Teacher Workday

I think we forget all the days we had off from school in the "good old days" like Columbus Day and Veterans Day (I think I got Washington's and Lincoln's Birthdays too).  We forget that we may have started after Labor Day but we went to school until the end of June.  Kids are under a lot of pressure today, I think much more than I was when I was in school (AP courses and honors classes, extracurriculars, jobs).  Our present calendar is pretty packed with very few days off.  I love my students and I love teaching (I will be in school when they tell me to be there) but I think the KIDS need the September and February breaks to recharge.