Bettendorf Schools Considering Week Off In October

I will preface this blog post by stating that I have the utmost respect for the teaching profession. I cannot begin to imagine what it is like to wrangle 30+ kids for 7-8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 40-some weeks a year.  I, myself, am enough for myself to deal with on any given day. Teaching is by far the most honorable profession.

The Quad City Times reports that Bettendorf school officials debated a motion at their last meeting that would add a week off in October to their calendar for 2017-18. Rock Island-Milan schools have a similar break in the fall, though that break is two weeks long.

When my son was in elementary school at Denkmann (go Timberwolves!), I dreaded the 'Fall Intercession,' and so did several other parents. Many parents struggled to organize childcare for an additional two weeks. Some parents and teachers that I spoke to found that a break of two weeks stole learning momentum from many kids.  Upon return from the break, many students needed a week of review to get back to where they left off, stealing almost of month of learning time from the school year.

Certainly that is not every student's, or parent's experience.  Many parents and teachers relish the extra time off at a gorgeous time of year. However, with America ranking 14th in education in the world, maybe we need more time in class, not less.

Bettendorf schools will revisit adding an October break to their calendar at their next meeting. Learn more about the proposal here.