Spring Break is one of the most anticipated breaks of the year. Students go the arduous three months after Christmas without a “true” break, and then they hit spring break. Though spring break is a time for vacations and relaxation, it is way too long in its current state. Instead of a week and two weekends, spring break days should be broken up across an entire month following Easter.
By spreading out the days of spring break across April and May, students could have four day weeks instead of five day weeks leading up to the end of the year. Not only would this significantly decrease the stress that students experience during the last few months of the school year, but it would also allow students to set aside an entire day per week just for studying for the finals and AP exams that are quickly approaching.
That may not seem attractive, but this would actually be a much better plan than the usual break. Instead of one spurt of relaxation, imagine the rest of the year as four day weeks. Currently, students get to go to school for about a month straight with full weeks, and no breaks. The only half day between the Thursday before Easter and the end of the year are for finals, and there are no more days completely off.
One final way to boost students success leading up to the finals would be strategically placed half days on Fridays before AP exams and finals. However, these days would not be truly half days, teachers and staff would remain in their classrooms, available for questions, and each student could decide which teacher they would like to see for a review session.