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In my opinion "dead week" ended two years ago with the aggressive marketing in Michigan. Now that week will be even worse. On the bright side I don't have to save any vacation days for that week.
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Yay for schools returning to the way summers were when I was growing up. Memorial Day to Labor Day should be all summer and no school.
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I dont think it will make that hugs of a difference. You're still not going to get many guests from outside the area because their schools are going. So you'll have locals and people in the general vicinity getting one last crack before school. Compared to a busy day, it will still be "dead"...just more profitable for CP.
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So now they go more into June? Its still daily operation, fyi.
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Yeah, and with the schools ending later it'll just decrease attendance at the beginning of the season, so it probably is not going to make much of a difference whatsoever, just the shift in attendance.
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This has been state law in Michigan for a couple of years now. Seeing as how on any given day there are more Michigan license plates then Ohio plates at CP, I don't see this making a big difference.
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Nah, schools don't end that late. My school ends June 6th and I go back after Labor Day.
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Having the park open during the end of the school season probably makes more sense than the begining of the school season. When I was a kid, the end of the school season meant a field trip to the park. It was uausaly a reward for a good years work. Is anyone aware of any schools that would do a park trip at the begining of the school season?
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Are they going to keep "regular" summer hours that week? Generally, in early June most parks have earlier closings. Plus the end of August is still usually pretty warm-- warmer than late May/early June, so water attractions should be open longer.
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Ten minutes more per school day and a couple of less IN Service days and any school system can trim it to Labor Day/ June 5th and still have 9 Weather days built in. Chuck
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Believe me Chuck, the teacher inservice days are very important. It allows teachers to get grades completed and catch up.
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Thats strange, because we never had In service days when I went to school. A couple of parent teacher confrence days a year but thats about it. Chuck
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^ Remember there is computer work needed now to get grades completed, don't computers make everything easier...?
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...because teachers only work from 8-3 **rolls eyes**
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Just an interesting side figure here... Say you pay your babysitter 5 bucks an hour plus 50 cents per additional kid. 5 x 27 additional students = $18.50 an hour $18.50 x 40 hours a week x 52 weeks a year = $38,400 That would be just to babysit. Teachers have to do much more. Beginning teacher salaries in NE Ohio are around $30,000 a year, and it's less in other areas. This is why I hate it when people complain about teachers being overpaid. And don't even bring up that stuff about how they only work 9 months a year. Not every job requires you to get re-certified by completing more and more college courses. Then they have to get their classrooms ready for the new school year, which takes a lot of time. Teachers don't get paid enough, and there's no other way around it. Even if they get inservice days.
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Teachers do not get enough respect in this country.
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Nah, schools don't end that late. My school ends June 6th and I go back after Labor Day.
I suppose it depends on how many days you get off during the year. You could pretty much make the school year as long or as short as you wanted (within the requirements) by adjusting the days off. When I was a kid we started after Labor Day and ran until mid-June - give or take. (usually the 10th - 14th or thereabout) My kids started in late-August this year and are done on June 3rd.
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thrillerman said: "Memorial Day to Labor Day should be all summer and no school." Well said. Kids need to be kids, and have MUCH to learn that occurs outside the classroom. Teachers are undervalued because CHILDREN are undervalued....maybe it's the whole supply and demand thing? 
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^that reminds me of that homework special alert thing I saw about the growing load of homework kids are getting these days, which is kind of crazy sometimes. If a kid gets out of school at 3, has soccer practice til 5, then has 3 hours of homework to do, what time does that leave for having a dinner with the family, or reading a book, or going outside? You pretty much have to condense all of that around homework. That actually was an exact example given, and it's sadly true with some kids. I do remember having a nice long summer which got shorter and shorter, even now they go back August 27th or something stupid like that, and get out June 11th. It's funny because I do remember 3 months summers, and sometimes in HS it seemed crazy to think of them but I now remember they DID exist lol.
*** This post was edited by P18 1/30/2008 1:55:38 AM ***
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CHILDREN are undervalued...
What!?
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My children are undervalued. Since we had to go through fertility measures to have them they both cost met about $15,000...before they were born. Of course, there has been some depreciation as they have gone from adorable newborns to middling toddlers.
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So does that make teenagers worthless?
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^^^Come down to FL and look at the schools (or go to any public schools anywhere in the US). Heck, how easy was it for Congress to override Bushie's veto of SCHIP? Oh, wait, they didn't? Schools have become far too interested in teacher "accountability", and left the kids by the wayside. Basically, from my perspective of childlessness, it seems that people value THEIR children based on their experiences and viewpoints, but that OTHER people's children (and children at large), get the short end of the stick in our society.
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It'll probably get too political if we keep going, so let me just say that, in general, I disagree. 
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^LOL, fair enough. In the meantime, I'll stay childless so I can keep adding a different perspective... As far as keeping the job working for programs that serve "special needs" kids....that's something I may revisit at any point...
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Olivia Newton John - "Let's get political...political." I think we, as a country, undervalue education for all age groups. And we scapegoat (see, just like I'm doing right now) teachers, school boards, mass media, and everyone instead of taking responsibility as parents. And no, sending your kids to an expensive private school is NOT taking responsibility.
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Now see, that's where wording gets important. I agree with that - we do undervalue education.
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Never thought I'd see an educational discussion on cb, but since I am a teacher here it goes. While I do like the time off in the summer, I find it funny that the reason schools boards and states (Mi for one) are changing school calendars because the businesses are asking for the change. I was quite young when the school year first changed to school before labor day, so I don't remember the public sentiment on it. I seem to recall that families wanted school to start after labor dat back then too, but the change wasn't made until businesses got into the mix. As a teacher, I don't think that the general public and our parents underappreciate teachers, but I do think that the media tries to create sensational stories and the government (feds especially) try to find scapegoats for our "failing educational system." They raise standards to a point where I'm not sure if our kids are developmentaly ready for them, and then blame teachers when they don't reach those standards.
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In the past few decades, I think children are increasingly thought of as "expenses" not "assets." We always see or hear reports on how much it will cost to put a kid through college, or raise a child to the age of 18. We overlook the fact that in 15-20 years, today's kids will (or should be) productive members of society. They'll be contributing their brainpower, tax dollars and spending power and other talents. Not to mention, they'll be paying for the previous generation's social security and medicare. Then again, I think we've proven that while America spends the most per child on education, they don't necessarily receive the best education.
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I'm a teacher. This year, for the first time in my career, I attempted to work at a public school. I lasted two weeks before they brought in the first round of State Mandated Standardized tests. Everyone in the school from the janitor up to the Superintendent of the District KNEW that the kids were going to fail the tests... eight days is simply not enough time to even shake off all the "summer blues" much less introduce all the topics... but I digress... the point is, these tests were mandated by state law. "Eh, it'll be good practice for them... show them where they are and what they have to learn". Yeah, getting a failing grade on a test that I'm completely unprepared for was always good for MY personal motivation... sigh. Long story short, I returned to my previous teaching job. For the record, in Washington state (Seattle area), we start the day after Labor Day and if I recall, we're ending on June... (checks callendar) 11th. -Rob Escher
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