After a long and replenishing holiday break, students and staff are counting down the weeks until February break. With teachers looking forward to quality time with their family, and students happily at peace with pressure off their shoulders, the news that February break has been shortened diminished what was meant to be a rare moment of rest for NVD.
For many students, the shortened break can mean lots of things. Not only does it raise concerns about workload, but it also raises concerns about the overall well-being and mental health of students.
Olivia Chroman, a sophomore at NVD speaks for herself and others about the struggles of a shortened break.
“I don’t think that the shorter February break gives me and other students enough time to relax and take time off for ourselves, family, and friends. All of these are important for mental health and without adequate time for that, it could take a toll on students,” Chroman said.
There is a pattern with reactions on how this year’s break is being shortened. Students aren’t just talking about the concerns with handling workload and mental well-being now, but also the struggles of finding time for themselves and other people in their lives. Students explain how their opportunity to relax and spend time with family, friends, or even just by themselves has been taken away, leaving these students feeling even more stressed and unprepared for school. One sophomore at NVD, Lucian Machado, shared how the change disrupted the expectations she’d been relying on.
“I was relying on February break to rest and be with my family, because it’s usually a week long and this year it got cut down so it’s not as much time to relax and unwind with my friends, and just like myself in general,” Machado said.
However, students aren’t the only ones who are finding the shortened break difficult to adjust to. Similar to Machado, Michelle Szukics, a Spanish teacher at NVD is also struggling to find the time to have with her family.
“The shortened break changed our plans to travel, and we weren’t able to travel as we normally do during the February break. We had been looking forward to a full week, which usually allows enough time to plan meaningful trips or visits with family,” Szukics said.
More opinions arise when students are asked about having time to themselves as students in high school. Chroman explains that between academic responsibilities, sports practices, and other extracurriculars, February break is a nice opportunity for responsible students to catch up on all of their essentials.
“I think if we were to have a longer break it could improve learning because by giving students time to focus on themselves, their school priorities, and the sports they are really committed to, they can come back to school refreshed and willing to learn, even more than ever,” Chroman said.
With academics in mind, Szukics explains her fears about the shortened breaks affecting students’ focus and performance in the classroom at school. Not only that, but the reduction of days for break interferes with a regular schedule the teacher may have gotten used to. It also makes the teachers time to plan lessons even more timely.
“A shorter break may affect what I am able to plan in class, especially if there are a lot of students absent due to pre-existing travel plans. When attendance is inconsistent, it can disrupt lessons, pacing, and overall student engagement,” Szuckics said.
Despite a shortened break, these students don’t view the change as an entirely negative thing. Some say that their excitement has been shifted, but it hasn’t completely gone away, as they focus on making the most of the days they can still have off. Machado explains her divided feelings on if she feels excited or not about break still.
“This almost changes my excitement for the break a little, because now I have to remind myself that I’m not looking forward to a [week] long break. But it actually doesn’t change my feelings that much because we still are getting three days off, five including the weekend, so it’s not too bad,” Machado said.
