Summer vacation is needed for students, staff, and teachers. Period. 

In fact, I believe that summer vacation should be longer. I wish school would start after Labor Day and end in June right before Father’s Day.  

If you’re a teacher or non annual employee within the school system, you know how important a break is. The longer I stay in education, the more I think about the importance of the school calendar and increasing the number of days school is out between one school year to the next. 

Most parents will tell you that they hate attending the long, drawn out, overly political school board meetings. I totally understand. This is why I encourage parents and teachers to get on whatever task force/committee that is handling the development of the school calendar. Maybe parents do not have time to give feedback for every issue, but there should at least be one issue parents can devote their time. The school calendar is one of those options.

Summer vacation is needed for these three (3) important reasons:

1. Building social skills is top priority. We hopefully learned the importance of this during Trump’s presidency. 
2. Giving the brain time to practice and apply skills outside of traditional classroom or school settings is real life application. 
3. School districts need time to revamp, replenish, and renew school operations, facilities, and staff. This shouldn’t be rushed; more time is needed.

Listen, summer vacation is more than just fun. Educators need time for more experiences that can help impact our teaching and learning, they need time for self care, and most importantly, our students need a break to relax and rejuvenate as well. If you believe school is starting too soon, please reach out to your children’s school district and ask to be part of their school calendar committee.