Remember when school let out before the end of May and didn’t start again until late August or early September? Now it ends in June and begins in mid-August.

Why is it necessary our children be in school so many days? Yes, I realize they’ve expanded the holidays, and I’m also aware for working parents, school can be a godsend, but really, do our kids need to spend so much time in a classroom?[image error]

I work in an elementary school. It’s considered a poverty level school. To be honest, many of their parents do not see education as a priority. While I don’t agree, I do think there should be a line drawn and allow our children to be just that-children.

Playtime, (and I’m not including constant video games), social interactions, and family time should also be considered important.

Many of our kids are street smart, and some have experienced or live in a lifestyle no child should have to endure. But keeping them inside and force feeding them information they have to retain to move[image error] to the next level, or maybe they’re not mentally or emotionally prepared to acquire isn’t the answer, either.

To be fair, I’ve encountered quite a few who’d rather be at school because their home life is miserable. Sadly, school is their haven. Unfortunately, I don’t have a solution to solve the problem.

I just know that these shortened summers don’t give students enough time to decompress after spending 180 days in a stressful classroom environment. And to be frank, teachers need a bit longer downtime.

It’s too bad we can’t turn back the clock and have the powers in charge put our children’s needs first. Kids need to be kids

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Debra Jupe is a romance/suspense author and she likes to read genres similar to what she writes, such as Sandra Brown, Lisa Jackson, and Linda Howard. She can be found at http://www.amazon.com and https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/.