Making the Case for an Extended Spring Break

Leonel Veizaga, Staff Writer

It’s very common for most students to feel completely drained after a certain amount of time doing schoolwork, taking tests, wrapping up projects and other kinds of responsibilities. That’s why Spring Break comes around, so that everyone gets a week to sleep in, spend more time with their families, or pretty much do anything that they couldn’t make time for before Spring Break. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t downsides to it. Some students are not happy with the fact that Spring Break lasts only a week, and have even talked about how much of an issue it is. Here is why we all need an extended Spring Break.
First and foremost, some who want spring break to be longer (like myself) make the argument that such a short period of time does not allow for a full recovery from the ever-growing pressures of school. This is mainly due to the fact that promptly after the break, students are thrust into an annoyingly long period of studying for and stressing out over exams to come in May, then SOLs and final exams immediately after that. The fact that students are only granted a week off from school during Spring Break, and are still assigned work to do over said break by their teachers in some cases, makes it really hard for all of us to be able to relax and unwind.
Second, a one-week break also has downsides when it comes to family time, as it doesn’t allow for extensive family vacations when the weather starts getting warmer and vacation spots and activities start becoming available. Because the short break limits such vacations and activities, students are often forced to miss a few days of school either prior to or following Spring Break (and considering the fact that some classes give out take home quizzes or tests before the break), missing those school days means not picking up said quizzes or tests. This is a big inconvenience, not just for teachers who have to accommodate for their missing students (and it’s usually a big amount of them missing the last day before Spring Break), but also for students who have to catch up on work in some of their classes.
Finally, a week barely even feels like enough time to relax before getting back into the swing of things. At least two weeks of taking a load off would feel satisfying, since it’d be more than enough time for students to spend time with their families and go on vacations, while doing their schoolwork over the break all at the same time. So to wrap up this article, I’ll just ask you all this one question: shouldn’t we have the best of both worlds?

Spring Break offers student and faculty a much-needed break before plunging into the exams and stress that characterizes the end of the year.
(Photo by Joseph Kratz)