Gaby: The waves crash against the shore; the sun beats down and you can feel the warmth on your back. This is summer. And I’m stuck in school.
Mana: My friends in private school have ridiculously long breaks, but still end school earlier than we do. If FCPS has an answer for this, I’d love to hear it, but so far “quality education” isn’t cutting it. Ever heard of the phrase “quality not quantity”?
Gaby: If you’re like me, the end of the school year is nothing but forgotten homework and an abundance of passes from the attendance office to leave early every other day. Our motivation is gone and all that’s left is the desire to be free.
Mana: As paradox as it seems, if we ended school earlier, everyone would focus more. The reason that 4th quarter grades are famously worse than other quarters of the year is because most students, especially myself, stare desperately out the window or surf their twitter feed while we should be paying attention in class.
Brendan: Where am I?
Gaby: Unfortunately Brendan, you’re in school. At this point, many confused students like Brendan are so jaded by the endless stream of homework and vocabulary quizzes that are cast our way in the last two days of school.
Mana: Think about this figure: the school year lasts a little over ten months. For me the last two are spent contemplating how serious my injuries would be if I jumped out the second story window of my classroom, or how many times I’d have to hit my head on my desk until I died in bliss, and freedom.
Gaby: Freedom, oh, freedom. Ending school earlier would result in more attentive students, better grades, and happier teachers.