Four-Day School Week Input
 | Author:
Mikayla Kraft, School Correspondent
MT43 News School Correspondent |
Four-Day School Week Input
Mikayla Kraft
School Correspondent
Right before school started, nerves were high with the thought of a four-day school week. Can we fit in the required state hours? What about the kids who cannot stay home on Fridays? Will the kids still be able to learn well? Questions such as these were on the rise and they could only be answered once it was implemented into the school system.
We are halfway through the school year and overall, reactions have been generally positive. Because some of the people who make final decisions may not have first-hand experience of the actual impact on all of the students, parents, and staff, it was highly important that I gained input from these figures. As a student myself, I have enjoyed the four-day school week. It allows me as a senior in high school to have ample time to focus on both school and work without the stress that usually comes with balancing many activities and events.
However, the schedule has no rhyme or reason. We have fewer breaks, and there are some Mondays off but in response, Fridays will have school. In addition, there are random five-day school weeks to supposedly catch up on time lost.
In actuality, we have exceeded state-required hours, so there was no time lost, but time gained. An anonymous staff member mentioned that we are 110 hours above the state requirement. It is difficult to tell whether this is excessive or in the right standards. But overall, this may allow extra learning to gear students for the future.
I talked to Tiffany Moos who has students in elementary, middle, and high school about how it has impacted her family. I asked how she has been able to adjust, and in response, she stated, “I find it fairly easy to adjust from week to week. It can be difficult trying to remember practices for sports with no school on Fridays, and on the Fridays we have school, convincing my youngest that he does in fact have school is trying”. Other than that, it has not been bad.
She has noticed that her senior child may be a little more stressed since the four-day school week has started, but her 7th and 2nd-grade children have adjusted to it very well. Her 2nd grader has never really liked school, but the four-day school week gives him time to relax with his family after a week of learning with the challenge of a speech delay. When asked about her overall point of view on the school week, she stated, “I do think we should continue [the four-day school week], it works well for my family. I understand it can be stressful for the families where both parents work, but I know the school offers the 5th-day option. I feel most kids like the four-day school week.”
The positives seem to outweigh the negatives. Of course, there is some improvement that could be made. However, that will only come with time. You can expect future years to be even more impactful for Townsend Public Schools.
