Today I had my first conference of the year with each of my daughter's teachers. All went well and it was very informal. More of a getting to know you type conference. It took me less than thirty minutes to attend both scheduled conferences. I'm a fan of it and glad I was able to discuss goals for each of my girls with their teachers. I am, however, not a big fan of the schedule the first two weeks of school. The girls started last Wednesday and went half a day all last week and the same continues for this week Monday through Wednesday. My confusion is why not start school Monday of this week and just go full days instead of starting in the middle of last week? Six half days of school in a row is just silliness to me. It just seems like wasted time and days. I love the schools and school district but I just feel time would be better utilized with students partaking in a full day of class. This is particularly hard for families with two working parents. Finding a half day sitter can't be the easiest thing. If a conference is needed why not have it the Thursday and Friday before the first week of school? That way teachers have two entire days to focus on conferences and still do some tweaking in the classroom before the students start. Teachers will also have a good understanding of each student before they even enter the classroom.
My other confusion is what happened to my family's summer? My kids seem to be starting school earlier and earlier every year. I understand that the students need to be in school for around 180 days but is there a way to stretch out their summer? Growing up we would start the school year after Labor Day and end school the Thursday before Memorial Day. Maybe I'm just a selfish mom that enjoys spending summer vacation with my kids. But there needs to be a more efficient way of getting the allotted days in without taking away the best parts of August. And please don't touch Spring Break or Christmas Break either. We must have those to keep our kids somewhat sane. Two weeks for Christmas Break should just be standard. I feel guilty for enjoying these warm summer days at the pool while my kids are stuck in school. Maybe I miss them a little too. This is all just an opinion and I'm sure there is good reason for the school year being set up a certain way. No matter what happens to the school schedule in the future just remember how important it is to cherish the time spent with your kids. Enjoy watching them play with friends, take them on vacations, visit family, etc.
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