Four-day school week: misguided effort

photo or infographic by Stone Chapman

FOUR-DAY FOLLY. The movement to a four-day school is not what is best for students.

As time goes on people desire new innovative approaches to old methods. New Waverly ISD, Crosby ISD and other districts have approved changing its weekly schedule to four days of school as opposed to the regular five. This has caused Wildkats to wonder if Willis will undergo the same changes. 

A four-day school week will take away from a student’s time and cause poor performance.

The idea of a shortened school week can appear to ease up on stress that a normal five-day week seems to force onto a student. This outlook can be problematic because learning something new takes time, and cutting out a day of key teaching time will ultimately cause grades to decline. The school board assumes that a student would appreciate this change of pace, but that student may be unaware of the effect disregarding valuable education has.

There is a percentage of students that require extra after-school tutoring to do well in their classes. Taking away their time to stay after school would be a detriment to their future in whatever course they need help in. If a student needs an extra push to finally understand the subject, a four-day school week throws any chance of passing away. 

Those that prefer a four-day school week argue that teachers would move to their school because they would get the benefit of working less. Their view is flawed because, though some teachers would migrate to a shorter work week, they would not be the best in the field. It is thought among many that a good teacher is one that actually wants to help their students learn, not choose to take a day off. There may be a teacher shortage, but one amazing educator is better than a lot of mediocre teachers.

The school should stick to a five-day week, the formula has worked for decades. Testing new systems can be beneficial, but not at the expense of a student’s education.