Year-Round Schools

Are year round schools better or worse for students? Year round schools are starting to become more popular in schools across that nation. However are they better, or possibly worse? Last year there was a total of 3,181 schools that go year round in the United States. This number has increased a lot since 1987 when there was only about 1,731. Many people support the fact that school goes year round, while others think a solid two month summer break is best for children.

The differences at a glance are mostly the scheduled days, that school is and isn’t in session. Students with a normal schedule spend about forty weeks in school, middle of August until Christmas break. When students are back slightly after the first of the year, they stay in school until around Easter when they have a week off for spring break. Then another eight to ten weeks of school until they are out for summer break. Year round schools have breaks a lot more often compared to this type of traditional schooling.

There is three main calendar plans for year-round schools. There is  forty-five on/fifteen off( 45 days when school is in session and then a 15 days when it is not), sixty on/twenty off, and ninety on /thirty off. Year Round schools can also have different “tracks” that operate. This means that certain staff and student are in session while other are on break. Tracks solve the problem of overcrowding in large schools, and help them get the most out of their building.  

Some of the pro’s of year round schooling is that children don’t lose knowledge over the long summer break, a.k.a “The Summer Slide.” By eliminating the long summer break you can prevent the “The Summer Slide.” This also eliminates the need to reteach material in the fall, most teachers spend four to six week reteaching old material before they get to the new material Dropout rates are also three percent lower in year round schools compared to normal scheduled schools. The buildings that are used by year round schools are always being used and have constant use. The period of time that they are in school (six-eight weeks) the students  can focus on one main unit, and really get to know it without any interruptions. Having this kind of schedule provides a short break in between large units, so that kids don’t bored of sitting in a classroom.

While the schedule can work in great ways it also can be the biggest con. Childcare is hard to find, imagine finding a full time babysitter for only two weeks every six weeks. Family vacations, camps, and reunions are all normally planned in the summer. However when you are going to school in the summer it can be hard to set dates or attend these things.

Some other cons include having children in the same family on different tracks. In schools that have different tracks for students kids in the same family can be put into different ones. This means that one kid might be in school when the other two aren’t. This can create a lot of problems for parents.

Cost can always an issue in schools, year round schools tend to be a little more expensive than traditional schools. The cost of year round schools can also be an issue. Keeping the building running all year is costly. Lunches and bus drivers year round can get costly to.  The year round school would be ordering food off and on all year round . Bus drivers have a job for six weeks and then they don’t for two, some people don’t like that kind of work schedule.  

Athletics in year round school are the same as in normal schools. They still run normal high school seasons, which means football would still be in the fall and track  would still be in the spring. Practices and games could be hard to schuele, between others schools  that are or aren’t in session the same time as a year-round school. A plus side is that you could have practice during the day when school was not in session.

Year round schools are not something that is new to the United States. Year round schools  used to be very common in the United States. During the 1800’s when immigration was popular, year round schools purpose for opening was  to teach immigrant children how to speak English. Then during the early 1900’s year round school’s purpose changed, it now was used to fight overcrowding and underfunding for schools. In Bluffton, Indiana, one of their schools started the four quarter program.

The four quarter program meant four shorter learning periods with smaller breaks in between.  This program became very popular until World War II, then children  had to work on farms or in factories to support the war effort. Year round school didn’t really show up again until the 1960’s when Park Elementary School in Hayward, California, became a year round school. It is now the oldest year-round school, and is still in use today.

Now that you have heard the pros and cons of year round school, would you switch? Would you like going to school in the summer or does the thought of sitting at a desk in the nice weather make you angry? Whether you go to a traditional school or year round school, you are still getting an education which is important.

History of Softball/ History of Volleyball/ History of Women's Basketball

Softball started in 1887 as an indoor game known as various names such as indoor baseball, mush ball, kitten ball, and ladies ball. The name softball was given to the game in 1926. Many people think the game came from baseball, but it actually came from a game of football. Some of you may be wondering how did softball come from the game of football? Softball has nothing to do with football, but I am going to tell you how it all started.

It was Thanksgiving Day of 1887 at the Yale vs Harvard football game. When Yale was announced the winner, a former student from Yale playfully threw a boxing glove at a Harvard supporter. The Harvard fan swung at the glove with a stick, and the crowd looked at them with interest. At the time George Hancock was was the reporter from the Chicago Board of Trade, and he jokingly called out, “Play Ball.” In 1926 Walter Hakanson put together the term “softball” at the National Recreation Congress meeting, and by 1930 the term softball was being used around the nation.

The original ball was 16 inches in circumference. Professional softball games today are played using a 10-12 inch ball in circumference. Games using the 16 inch ball is often referred to as “cabbage ball”, and they are not allowed to use fielding gloves. Women’s fastpitch softball was added to the roster of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Softball was later dropped in the 2012 Summer Olympics. It is still one of the most popular sports in the United States and 113 countries have officially joined the International Softball Federation since 1952. Many people have their opinions on which is harder between softball and baseball.

Men are always complaining that softball is way easier than baseball but in all honesty they are two different games. Softball is about speed. It may sometime seem the pitcher is standing right on top of you when she is pitching the ball. It is proven that softball players have less time to react to the ball when they are up to bat. It is easier for softball players to steal bases because the bases are closer together.

The catcher has to get out of her stance right away and whip the ball to the base as fast as she can. There are no lead offs before the pitch is released. Softball fields are much smaller than baseball fields, so the fielders have an easier time fielding the ball which means the runners need to get around the bases quickly. Everybody will have their opinions on which is harder, but it all comes down to how it all started and how much the history of softball has changed ever since the beginning.

History of Volleyball

Volleyball started in 1895 by William G. Morgan four years after basketball was invented. A graduate first designed the game to be a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. When volleyball first got started, the net was only 6’6” high, but the average American was shorter in the 19th century. In 1916, it became clear that there needed to be standard rules after watching Phillipines spike the ball.

The Philippines were the ones who demonstrated all the techniques you need to play volleyball, and that is how the rules were formed. You used to only be able to go to 15 points, but that rule was later changed to going to 21 points. In 1920 the rule of having three hits per side was originated. There are six players on the court at a time. There are three hits per side, which was normally a pass (bump), set, and a hit (attack or spike). A pass is an underhand motion with both of your arms together to try to get it to your designated setter. In a game there are typically one to two setters. A set is an overhand pass while using both of your hands to try to get it to your other three hitters. Your hitters are the ones who hit the ball and try to get a downward kill over the net to end the rally.

A while after volleyball was started, beach volleyball became a huge hit for both men and women. Beach volleyball is typically only played with two people. Volleyball is becoming a huge sport that many people are starting to take interest in.

History of Women’s Basketball

Women’s basketball was first invented in 1891 only a year after men’s basketball was invented. When it first originated, women had to wear corsets and floor length skirts. The only skin they were allowed to show was their fingers, neck, and head. Since then, the game has changed drastically.  In 1918, the rules were changed from having 11 officials, coaches only allowed at halftime, and a basket with an open bottom instead of a closed bottom opened by a chain.

Now, basketball typically has 2-3 officials. The uniforms are shorts and a short sleeved/tank jersey. The coaches are allowed at the whole entire game unless of course if they get ejected. In 1971, the 5 player, full court rule is adopted along with the 30 second shot clock. I only covered a few sports’ history, but I think we can all agree that time is changing. The history of sports is not the same, and the rules are different and modern. It is fun to be a part of something where the history behind it, is changing over time.