88% of people at Creek, out of a poll of 112 students conducted on the Union Street Journal’s Instagram, would rather have a four day school week but they don’t realize the reality of the outrageous situation.
Students are at school trying to memorize, not really learn the information that they’re being taught. They have hours of homework from all classes, every night. Schoolwork is already a lot to tackle in five days, but in four days, it would be almost impossible.
Although some could argue that having a four day school week is better for mental health, sadly that’s not true. I have gone to an international magnet school that has implemented four day school weeks. It sounds good at first, but in reality, it’s dreadful and draining.
Most school districts that have put a four day school week into effect have done so because of being underfunded, and are trying to “reduce spending.” Only 24 states have had this process enacted, and they are mostly in rural areas. This is one of the biggest logistic reasons why Creek would never have a short week, they don’t need it.
School days are painfully longer with four day weeks, going from 8 am to 4 pm. This may seem like only thirty minutes to an hour more a day, and it is, but one extra hour does not make up for the whole day we missed every week.
Short weeks mean teachers are trying hard to force more information in students’ heads. This ultimately leads to more questions that have no time to be answered because all the time in class is used to “teach” more content. And I say “teach” because it is really more endless lecturing.
There is this constant feeling of being rushed, whether it’s teachers feeling rushed to teach or students feeling rushed to do their work.
The National Council on Teacher Quality reported that researchers found that students declined by 0.2 and 0.3 percent in math and reading within a four day school week. I don’t know about you, but when I have bad grades it stresses me out to no end, especially when I’m trying and failing to catch up.
The result of bad grades can also have a huge impact on students’ mental health, whether they’re stressed about the future, what overbearing parents will think, or both. Either way, all this dreadfulness could be avoided just by having a five day school week.
In addition, four day school weeks could not only harm students’ grades but their safety. Most parents work on that extra day off. Which could lead to more problems for both the parent and the student. Some students may also have a bad home life, and an extra day off could lead to kids being in dangerous situations. School could be their only safe place, and safety should always be the priority.
Four day school weeks aren’t what they sound like. They can hurt student education and potentially their safety. Creek would never be a good fit for a four day school week, but they aren’t a good fit for any school either.
