The 2016-2017 P-CEP school year is a total of five days longer than the last. This new policy was enforced after the state of Michigan passed a law stating that schools that receive state aid will be required to have at least 180 days of school. This is a five day increase from the prior requirement of 175 days.

The initial response of many students may be despair. The thought of more school, even if it is five days, is a depressing thought. However, the benefits of a mere five extra days of school are beneficial.

Continuous breaks throughout the school year interrupt the learning process. Frequent vacations from the academic environment can cause students to not only forget what they recently learned, but lose the skill to apply and practice their knowledge.

Long breaks also make it more difficult for teachers to plan out lessons. In some instances, teachers may be forced to rush a certain unit in order to complete it before another long break. Or, they may have to push the unit test to after the break, in which case students will likely forget much of what they learned and thus perform poorly on the exam.

In addition, it’s harder for students to get back into the pattern of the school routine after an extended break. Getting up early, studying for tests, balancing homework with extracurriculars, are all skills that students learn to perfect as they go through the motions of school. With more breaks however, they have no need to follow that pattern, and thus lose it by the time school starts back again. This results in a slow start to getting back into the grind of things.

Breaks from the hectic life of school and work are necessary. But, it is important to remember the idea of everything in moderation. Too many breaks, as appealing as it may sound, has too many negative effects.