Your Turn
In my life I went back to school before and after Labor Day and I have to say I liked going back to school before Labor Day better because you always had that early three day weekend and got out of school in summer earlier. What about you? Preference? Did any of you go to one of those all year schools?
I'm doing that right now. Fall semester started last week and now I have some random three-day weekend to throw me off my "wake up at 5 AM to bike my lazy ass to campus" groove. Kind of frustrated by that part, but since one of my textbooks (from which I have already been assigned homework) didn't arrive until Saturday, the extra time to do the reading isn't *so* bad.
ReplyDeleteAlways after Labour Day. The Jerry Lewis telethon signified the end of freedom.
ReplyDeleteI live downtown and it's crazy loud today, as well as this past weekend. All the university students are back.
I've never gone back to school after labor day. In high school, we started back in the first week of August, which was lovely because Christmas break would fall between semesters and you'd start new classes in January. And then classes would end in May.
ReplyDeleteAfter! Everyone was too busy working at the beach to start school earlier.
ReplyDeleteSeptember = School. August = Alcohol.
After Labor Day, out at the end of June.
ReplyDeleteFrom Elementary school through college.
Labor day. That was the tell tale that school was starting
ReplyDeleteFlag day to labor dayThat was SUMMER
I've been in the UK for several years now and I'm still floored by the school terms here. It seems like the kids are always on a break
We don't start until Wednesday, and as long as I can remember, it's always been so. It kills me that students in other states have to go to school in August. August = summer!
ReplyDeleteI'm in Michigan where we don't start school until after the holiday. The Varsity Football game was even scheduled for Thursday night. I love a holiday but I work weekends :-(
ReplyDeleteAlways went to school from mid August until May, and that de ended on how many snow das we had. We were usually out by a memorial Day though, which was nice.
ReplyDeleteLabor day meant back to school. As did some form of plaid dress, blood red oxfords, new coat.
ReplyDeleteI always went back after Labor Day. Out in mid June. I just stated college and it started August 15 and out in May. We'll see how I like that. My kids started back the 20th out first day in June.
ReplyDeleteI've always started mid-August and ended the Friday before Memorial Day, including my last few years of high school and my past 14 years as a teacher. When friends hear about my schedule, they think it's crazy -- "Why do you guys start so EARLY!?" They seem to forget about it in late May when I'm done and they still have a month to go. I definitely prefer this schedule. The springtime slog is always horrid, so it's nice to come back from Spring Break and know that we only have six more weeks.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this format has always been controversial, even here in GA where we've been doing it this way since the late '90s. Older folks and northern transplants still complain about it being too early. "Families should be able to take Labor Day vacations!" Uh, they can take Memorial Day summer kickoff vacations instead. "Kids need a long summer!" Sheesh. They still GET the same amount of summer vacation as the rest of the country -- it's just shifted a month earlier. Plus, most kids are bored by week four, so why do they need all that extra time?
But I think the tide is slowly shifting, what with the growing popularity of year-round schooling and "Balanced Calendars" with shorter summers and more weeklong breaks during the year. We tried that a few years ago and LOVED it, but a small group of parents whined too loudly. I think the district wants to try it again next year, and I'm thrilled!
We always started the third week of August and got out the week before Memorial day. I liked it.
ReplyDeleteAnita_Mark: I love love love that you remembered the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon!!!! The years that our parents didn't force us camping for that weekend, we totally watched this, mainly because we only had three tv channels and the other two were on golf!!!!Then back to school on Tuesday morning!
ReplyDeleteEnty, "In my life " ..
ReplyDeleteOk, but which one?
Come on here, give a clue:)
MDA and Jerry Lewis. Interesting journey, that one.
In elementary school we had year-round schooling. We were all broken up on 4 tracks (red, purple, gold, and green) and then depending on what track you were deemed what your vacation months were. So on red I had off January, May, and September. It was due mostly to overcrowding I think but they eventually ditched that idea when electricity prices went through the roof here in CA =P
ReplyDeleteMy daughter goes late-mid August until mid May. I would prefer to start later and end later since, where I live, the pools aren't yet open and it can still be somewhat coolish in mid-May so I have to listen to, "I'm bored" until the pools open Memorial Day weekend.
ReplyDeleteFrom K-12, we always went back the day after Labor Day (or the day after that, depending on grade). My family always spent the last two weeks of summer at the Jersey shore (not the crappy part up north infested by Staten Islanders as glorified on MTV--much further south, in a very pretty area not far from Cape May). The summer season had a very definite "end" at Labor Day weekend.
ReplyDeleteI now work in a school district where everyone goes back to work/class in early August. I just can't wrap my mind around it. It feels wrong to me because that's smack dab in the middle of summer and Labor Day is just another long weekend.
That being said, Labor Day always makes me feel melancholy because I absolutely love summer and now it's over.
Was it ever revealed what Jerry Lewis did that got him dropped so quickly by the MD charity?
ReplyDeleteFrom kindergarten to eighth grade it was after Labor Day. High School through college was third week of August until third week of May. I hate going to school in August. It just feels wrong.
ReplyDeleteMy grad school is on the quarter system, so I don't start until mid-September.
Always started after Labor Day, always got out in June. Anything else would seem so weird to me. I pity these kids who have to start in August. There is even a school district not too far from me that starts in late July. Really rotten!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I started before Labor Day up until college and I loved it for exactly the reasons Enty stated.
ReplyDeleteMy state changed the schedule not too long after, so they start after Labor Day now, and I'm still cranky (on the students' behalf - I enjoy getting my cranky on, could easily do it professionally) they switched. Supposedly it was to give families a little more vacation time before school started and so encourage tourism, I think. I'm glad I got out before it happened. We never went anywhere on vacation, anyway, just visited some relatives one state over. Boring.
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ReplyDeleteWe started last Wed & I totally get that it gives the kids a chance to see their classmates, meet their teacher & get general first week of school bs outta the way, have a long weekend & come back ready to learn but labor day always signals the end of summer & school should start after - I know other districts are starting tomorrow & I think that's the right way Septemebr = school August = summer
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid we did the Year Round school for a while. It was awful, we never really had a "summer". But when our school stopped being year round, we always went back to school after Labor Day. It was always the "last hurrah" of the year for my family. Now, my kids have been in school for 3 weeks already. Its a nice little 3 day vacation to relax, but it would have been nice if the back to school sales started before they went back to school, not after. :)
ReplyDeleteWe started before labor day, it always sucked. But we were out of school in May :-)
ReplyDeleteWe always started after labor day, but my son went to a year round school for k-5, and I loved it.
ReplyDeleteDia, that was perfect, and renoblondee, good luck with school! I went back as a "grown up", and I know how hard you are going to work, have a great semester!
@E Gee Be Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI always started after Labor Day in Jersey, which was nice b/c it made the summer longer. And until 7th grade, I'd finish the school year out in May in SC, which made for a short school year.
ReplyDelete