Remember when the Labor Day Jerry Lewis Telethon meant that summer was over and school was starting? That's not the case here in Colorado. This year school started in mid-August because state academic testing is now earlier in the year. Unfortunately, this meant many kids were sweltering in schools without air conditioning. (Nathan's charter school has AC as does Lucie's preschool.)
Earlier this month, a Rocky Mountain News editorial came out stating that school shouldn't start until after Labor Day. They argued that school districts are spending millions of dollars to retrofit older buildings with AC. Instead, they want capital expenditures to be used on instruction.
That's very nice, but it's not based in reality. The bottom line is that parents would like school to start even earlier. In fact, July 5th looks really good to us because our kids are driving us crazy!
Mom, I'm Bored!
After an extremely challenging summer, I'm warming up to the idea of year-round school. Not only would it prevent the dreaded "summer slide" when heat combined with pool chlorine causes kids' brains to atrophy and forget everything they've ever learned. But it would make us a parents oh so much happier.
This summer, we were busy with playdates, karate, park dates, summer school, camping, trips to the movies, fishing, golf, baseball, and speech therapy. Sheer madness! No matter how busy our schedule, Nathan was bored, bored, bored. TV, computer games, homework, books, and a grandmother who plays a thousand board games in a row wasn't enough to stop him from picking fights with his sister, wrecking the house, or coming up to me every 10 minutes asking, "What are we going to do next?"
Now that school has started, Nathan and Lucie are much happier and their behavior has improved. They're excited to be surrounded by friends and teachers who stimulate and challenge them. While they're just as busy with extra-curricular activities like karate and chess club, our days have a more predictable rhythm. An since Nathan and Lucie aren't together most of the day, they miss each other and fight less.