Op-Ed: Summer -- and tradition -- get shortchanged
In 2012 La Cañada Unified School District revealed its plan to move the start of school up by two weeks. After hearing complaints from parents, the board agreed to conduct a survey. According to a Facebook post by school board Vice President Ellen Multari, 944 people took the survey, 717 of whom were parents. Of those 944 people, 55%, or 524 voted yes to the early start, so the plan went forward. It is unclear if only one vote was allowed per household. Incidentally, there are 2,500 LCUSD households, so the “yes” vote potentially represented less than 20% of LCUSD families.
Many parents, teachers and students were, and still are, dissatisfied by the early start. Parent Chris Erskine lamented his child’s loss of lazy days of summer in one of his columns in the L.A. Times. Others question the financial impact of additional air-conditioning bills. Some have been upset about the loss of annual vacations and traditions.
Because of these concerns, we created a petition to ask the board to return the start of school to the end of August.
In June 2012, Supt. Wendy Sinnette said in the Valley Sun, “The change is designed to allow extra instructional time before critical spring exams … It really has to do with the scheduling of the STAR tests, the scheduling of the AP tests.”
Extra instructional time was the motivation for the calendar change, yet no evidence was given to prove that 10 moved days of instruction would increase test scores.
La Cañada’s advanced placement test scores remained steady between 2004 and 2010: roughly 82% of students scored a 3 or better. In 2012, 90% of students scored a 3 or better, 91% in 2014. Interesting that the biggest jump in test scores occurred before the calendar change, not after.
Aligning our sports schedules with other CIF schools was another reason given for the change. Yet benefits to fall athletes have brought disadvantage to spring athletes. Tennis, track, softball and baseball have CIF playoffs the first week of June, meaning some kids could be asked to play after they’ve already graduated.
Another reason cited for the move is that first semester now ends before winter break, allowing children to be unencumbered by assignments or exam stress.
However, in 2012, finals began on Jan. 22, two weeks after break ended. It seems unlikely that many students experienced anxiety during winter break when finals were still weeks away. As far as assignments — students have summer assignments as well.
Many parents want to help their teens by eliminating the discomforts of life, such as academic tasks over break, but as Stanford Dean Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of “How to Raise an Adult,” writes, “Why did parenting change from preparing our kids for life to protecting them from life?”
Back in 2012 I had daughters in high school, 7/8, and elementary school. I carefully read the board’s proposal and did my research. The academic argument seemed flimsy because no evidence was provided that scores would increase. The athletic argument was also suspect. Oddly, our schools now begin before all other Rio Hondo League schools, and spring sports can extend beyond the school year.
Ending the semester before winter break has its merits, but I concluded that my teens were better equipped to handle winter reading or exam stress than my youngest child was to endure two extra weeks of class time in August heat.
Parents teach their children to stand up for what they believe in, yet many in town have mocked our efforts and belittled our concerns. “Ten weeks is ten weeks,” some have said. “Change is hard, you’ll get used to it,” said others. There’s little empathy for those with differing views, whose lives have been upended by the calendar change.
Family traditions have been sacrificed, annual vacations canceled, and our children’s August down time is now gone.
Ten weeks is not ten weeks. Dates have meaning. Family traditions are important. Carefree days of summer are once in a lifetime.
Please give these days back to our children.
If you are a current LCUSD parent and agree with me, sign the petition at www.thepetitionsite.com/433/092/625/move-the-lcusd-calendar-back.
If you don’t agree, it’s easy – don’t sign.
KRISTEN BRAKEMAN is a La Cañada Flintridge resident with children attending La Cañada Unified School District schools. She can be reached at kbrakeman@earthlink.net.