What's Up With All the Half Days?
10:30am dismissal? Really?!
My children have now officially commenced the school semester known as All Half Days, which is technically only a week long but feels like it lasts 412 years. During this endless mini-semester (which happens this year to coincide with the final few days before my book is due, because of course it does), my youngest child gets on the bus to go to school at 8:15am, and my eldest child gets home on the bus at 10:45am.
That’s 2.5 hours. I get 2.5 hours to myself before children careen into the house demanding snacks.
Why? Just why. I would like to understand, please: Why.
I’m sure there are legitimate reasons. Maybe half days are helpful for the teachers, who are totally exhausted and perhaps trying to get end-of-year stuff sorted in the afternoons. Given that our school has no A/C, it’s also useful for ensuring that teachers, staff and students avoid heat stroke, which, fair. And my kids? My kids LOVE the half days (although my eldest would like to know why, instead of having school from 7:30am to 10:30am, it couldn’t be more like 10:30am to 1:30pm, so he can attend school while his brain actually functions).
As a working parent, though, I find the half days excruciating. They sometimes even feel like a political statement: We expect there to always be a parent (*cough* mother) at home with nothing to do but serve goldfish and organize art projects.
Does your kid’s school have lots of half days at the end of the year? How do you not murder people manage them? Why do they exist? I think if I understood their value, I might be able to accept them more easily. Maybe. I mean, it’s worth a shot.
Share your experiences/thoughts/rants in the comments!
As I ask my children, do you want an answer or do you want sympathy?
1. Days over a certain cutoff count toward the minimums required for federal funding.
2. They're required by teachers unions in some locations.
3. They ensure that part time staff like cafe workers and bus drivers have work and get paid.
4. They provide breakfast and lunch to children who depend on the school for those services. This one went a long way in making me more tolerant of half days, knowing these meals are critical for many of my neighbors.
5. In my system, the after-school program is available from dismissal through end of day, so if you really need to you can still have inexpensive childcare.
Right there with you and can we also discuss the ridiculousness of the school year ending at 11:15am on Tuesday and yet none of the camps start till the following week. 5 hours of school over 2 days does not count as a week! It’s barely one full work day!