When I was in 6th grade, I lived in Arizona. I went to a middle school called Vulture Peak, and we had a four-day school week every single week.
It may seem odd, but it was just something we were used to. We would only go to school Monday through Thursday, which kind of made up for how much I disliked the school. I honestly didn’t know if the school always had that schedule or if it was something new since I arrived in the middle of the school year.
When I looked it up on wickenburgschools.org, I found that all parents and staff were surveyed in March 2020 regarding the four-day school week. “60% of parents who completed the survey reported a positive impact on their child academically, 27.8% stated no academic change, and 12.2% stated the four-day week had a negative academic impact.”
Some parents said the four-day school week increased family time, and some staff believed it helped balance students’ lives and mental health. Though there were many positive comments, there were also some concerns. Some parents said the four-day school week negatively impacted their child academically, and some staff stated that it resulted in them losing pay or hours.
I personally loved the four-day school week. Despite not enjoying school, fewer days at school made it more bearable. I liked how much personal time I had on the weekends, and it gave me more time to complete homework due on Monday.
Though I believe a shorter school week is better, I understand why there would be concerns. Students might not get enough education, but if schools and teachers balanced the amount and content of what their students were learning daily, this probably wouldn’t be an issue.
In Arizona, my mom worked at the elementary school my brothers attended, and they also went to school for only four days a week. I asked her for her opinion as both an educator and a parent. From an educator’s perspective, she explained, “There are fewer absences because people knew it was a short week. They had three days without school, and once a month, we had an entire day dedicated to professional development, which seemed a lot more productive than just 2 or 3 hours here and there.”
From a parent’s perspective, she stated, “It was better because you could schedule doctor appointments or other things, and kids wouldn’t miss as much school. It also gave more quality family time.” I agree with my mom. It might have been because she also had three days off, but we did have more time together.
When comparing a four-day school week to a five-day school week, it’s pretty obvious which one a student would prefer. But when looking at my mom’s opinion and the survey results, the majority of staff and parents also agreed.
