One change that should not be made is the switching from the education system that most of the nation currently employs, which is a 10-month system, to a year-round education system. A growing number of districts are making this switch due to the concern for summer learning loss.

Switching to a year-round education system is not a good idea because it does nothing to combat summer learning loss, it does not provide sufficient down time and it takes away summer break which is an important component in having a healthy childhood.

Every society, nation and culture changes and adjusts itself to how the majority of the people living in that society operate. To change the way a culture functions is the hardest change to make due to the fact that it requires a large number of people to change how they operate during their daily lives.

According to Thoughtco, this year-round education system comes in many different forms. Most of the schools that employ this system operate on a single-track year-round school calendar, which can include a 45-15, 60-20 and 90-30 schedule. This means that you have 45 days of school (referred to as work period) followed by 15 days of break (referred to as rest period). All of those systems provide enough time for an average student to forget what they learned over the last work period, which entirely defeats the purpose of a year-round education system.

The calendar system that year-round education programs use not only make it pointless to switch to year-round education, they also complicate the lives of students, parents and families as a whole. During the summer break, many students use this down time to take up a summer job to buy their first car or for some, help support their families. Taking away the extended summer break would crush this crucial part of the average American teenager. For teachers with young children, it would be difficult to find a babysitter who can work for a certain amount of days, then go several days without any income. It is much easier to find a babysitter who can work the entire summer, which also offers a teenager a possible summer job.

The down time of summer is necessary in the healthy development of children. Some students spend their summer vacation outside by going to youth camps, working out or going to the pool. Some experts say these activities are crucial to remaining healthy. Dr. Susanne Preston, a mental health counseling instructor at South University Virginia Beach is one such expert.

“The fresh air and sunlight have the largest benefits,” Preston said in an article written by Jared Newman. “For example, with increased exposure to natural sunlight, incidents of seasonal affective disorder decrease. When individuals are exposed to natural sunlight, the vitamin D in their skin helps to elevate their moods. Research has shown that spending time in nature has been associated with decreased levels of mental illness, with the strongest links to reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, in addition to increased self-esteem.”

According to the July 2010 edition of the Harvard Health Letter there are several positive results of going outside. Some of them are a rise in your levels of vitamin D, which may have many positive effects such as fighting diseases. The downtime during summer gives children the chance to lead a healthier lifestyle. Take away the summer break, you take that chance with it as they can’t really gain the same benefits from such activities while in a classroom.

All of the information previously stated, shows that not only is year-round education difficult to execute, but also pointless. It also complicates the lives of teenagers, parents, teachers and families as a whole. On top of that it still takes away downtime that is vital to the healthy development of children.

For these three reasons, year-round education should not be allowed under any form to be integrated into how our society and culture currently functions.