Brien McMahon, just like other schools, still has 5 day school weeks. Many people believe that only having school for 4 days a week would benefit both students and teachers.
Most students here at McMahon agreed that the school week should be shortened to 4 days. “A lot of kids can become stressed, and we need breaks,” said Laisha Argueta, a Junior at McMahon.
Many other students mentioned that school can be stressful, and having one day off can allow many students to make up work and become less stressed. This would also prevent teachers from having a whole class day dedicated to making up missing work. Having an entire class period dedicated to missing work can be very boring, especially for the students who complete their work on time.
Having a day off from school can benefit the athletic and after-school programs here at McMahon. Students struggle with time management when it comes to schoolwork and after-school activities. Sports and clubs can add stress to students, especially after the first 3 weeks of school. Teachers start to post more assignments and projects, and having to do an after-school activity/sport can be stressful. Even with good time management, life in general gets hard. The day off can help students focus on school work one day and the next football game tomorrow. It would allow students to not get burnt out and prevent stress on students.
Mr. Talucci, an English and Journalism teacher, suggested that instead of having a day off from school, one day should be switched to online school. This would be a better alternative instead of having a day off. This day would most likely be a makeup day for students.
With online school, snow days wouldn’t be an issue. The school year won’t be as long, and summer break might come sooner. Students are 50-50 with this option, “If they don’t take out the day, then yes, that would be a great idea,” said Daniel Pagan.
Most students see online school as a backup plan. However, some students are against it. “Nobody is gonna do work; I feel like people could possibly cheat more easily because you’re at home,” said Keilly Mejia, a Junior. Since Covid, most people see online school as a distraction, and students won’t take it seriously. Online school is potentially seen as bad.
When asked what day of the week should be taken out, people have different opinions. Some say Monday should be taken out because it would allow students to rest more and longer weekends. If that became the norm, then it wouldn’t feel like a longer weekend. Fridays should be taken out. It would let student-athletes get rest before the football games, but most students love Fridays because it’s a sign of the weekend. Others say Wednesdays should be taken out because it would give both teachers and students a break in the middle of the week. But then, Thursday will start to feel like a second Monday. Everyone’s opinions are different about what days should be taken out, but most agreed that Mondays or Fridays should be taken out because of longer weekends.
Some teachers feel the same as most students. “Other countries have done it, and it’s more beneficial. I think everybody is burnt out, and that students need time to sleep and replenish. And to be able to keep up with their academics and their other activities and jobs.” Said Ms. Stabach, an English teacher.
Just like students, teachers get burnt out from school, too. Having a day off from school will allow teachers to come up with their lesson plans. A question that was asked was whether teachers have enough time to teach within 4 days. “Yes, absolutely, because classes are already 90 minutes long, so we have plenty of time.” Said Ms. Stabach.
The day off won’t have an impact on how much students learn because teachers will be able to teach students the same way they do but within a 4-day week. Switching to 4 days of school will be beneficial for not only students but everyone.
