Parker does a good job with ensuring that students have breaks spread out throughout the year as well as a few extra “lazy” days sprinkled in throughout the months. However, March is the outlier in the calendar. I was curious if any other students were feeling this. I asked a few students, and the feedback I got led me to believe that academic motivation is out the window in March.
“March is a struggle because we have no breaks and days are quite long,” freshman Sophie Skidelsky said. I also believe that no matter how many days we get off, the second semester will always be a challenge, typically due to burn out, workload increases, and busy social and extracurricular schedules. High school students, specifically the upper-classmen, have been stressing non-stop about grades that matter more, standards that are set higher, and time that is running out before the end of the year. Add that to students obsessing over test scores and teacher recommendations. The second semester is tough for all, including the teachers.
This led me to get a perspective from somebody who might have seen the academic decline. “I agree there’s definitely a ‘March Slump’ at Parker,” Learning Resource department Co-Chair Valerie Ginnan said. “With no days off and few rally points, it can feel like we’re moving through fog, but with the days getting longer and brighter, I’m hopeful we’ll start to see the horizon.”
I believe Parker students are pushing from February Break to April Break with no time to actually catch a break. It can be stressful because mid-semesters reports are right around the corner. Even our rival school, Latin, has their two-week spring break and a preceding week off for their “Project Week”, meaning that they’re basically not in school in March. Many other schools in Chicago and Illinois have similar breaks. Even though we have no days off in March, we are still barely meeting the minimum number of required school days. So the number of days allotted to a break of any sort can’t be increased.
Looking back over the whole year, I realized we have to come back into school after Civic Lab field work days, and school still happens during some religious holidays such as Rosh Hashanah. As a freshman who is new to the eight day schedule, I wonder if this new schedule is the main contributing factor towards the long March haul. Parker wants all students to succeed and perform the absolute best academically. However, in order to do this, we cannot burn out the students.
To me, the atypical nature of two breaks (February and April) is worth examining. Do we really need a full week off in February after the traditional December holiday and New Year break? What if the February break was shortened to a long weekend and an additional long weekend was added in March? I realize that a proper Spring Break some time in the calendar does serve a purpose, especially for all the seniors who have likely heard the outcomes from many on their college wish-list, or juniors who want to visit colleges and explore upcoming options for their future.
The other option that works for the majority of schools is the classic Spring Break rather than two shortened options. Typically held in March, these longer breaks allow for a true release for students and teachers. Arguably, a break in February is too early, and April too late. Given that a March academic slump seems common at Parker, maybe other schools have learned something we have not. Is one concentrated break more beneficial than two smaller ones? Is it even possible to change this schedule due to how new it is? And is there any chance to lighten up the workload? Teachers need enough content for mid semester reports and students are pushing towards the yearly finish line hoping to end on a high note. The month of March is stressful for everyone.
