Early start limits summer learning

8/21/2005

Early August school start dates create headaches, heartaches and hardships for teachers, families and students. I strongly support a traditional school calendar with a start date of Sept. 1 and an end date of May 31.

Many of the top-rated academic states start school around Labor Day, while ending in early June. Won’t you please help us restore summers to our teachers, students and families?

Many summer activities also serve to broaden horizons and help children become well-rounded individuals. The short summer break limits and sometimes prevents such activities. Education should encompass much more than what students learn in the classroom.

Too much emphasis is placed on testing. If we let teachers do their jobs of teaching, instead of requiring them to teach the PACT, then real, unrehearsed testing will show how much has actually been learned. I feel that the PACT test gives artificial results.

JOAN W. CANN

Abbeville, South Carolins