Education in American has always been a subject of debate. In the past year, one specific item has attracted a lot more online attention, and that’s the school calendar. Much of the turmoil turns on the notion that students are getting more breaks or that parents have been caught by surprise by “unexpected” holidays. In fact, though, it’s the same as it ever was.
Before we dive in: I was a college professor for seven years, a high school teacher for two, and an adjunct for multiple institutions, including the Indiana correctional system. I also subbed for K-12. My wife and I are parents of two college students; we know school calendars.
For years in the United States, the school year has been built around having 180 in-school instructional days. This goes back decades, and you can find iterations of it in old initiatives like “Time on Task” and “No Child Left Behind.” Schools generally take off most federal holidays, but the choice falls in the purview of the state Board of Education or local school board.
Here’s the important part: The school teachers themselves do not and have never dictated the school calendar; nor have teachers’ unions. But that’s who takes a lot of the online blame for calendar confusion, and that’s the furthest thing from the truth. The calendar comes from the board, with occasional input from school administrators, and then teachers.
Frankly, it’s not surprising that teachers get blamed for the school calendar, because teachers get blamed for everything — from standardized tests (we generally hate them), to kids not doing homework (we’re not at home with them), to homework existing at all (it’s kind of always been there).
And this is where it gets really uncomfortable. A lot of parents are angry because they’re “surprised” by breaks, holidays, or occasional at-home/asynchronous days due to teacher trainings and so on. Federal holidays have almost always been observed by schools. For Spring/Winter Break confusion, those days are posted at the school and easily accessible online. It’s up to the parents to check. In the last two minutes, I randomly found the district calendars for Des Moines, Iowa; Lawton, Oklahoma; and Leon County, Florida. And I’m in Indianapolis.
It’s like this: Teachers can do only so much. Managing your calendar is not part of their gig. And time management should be part of raising a functional adult who is going to have to manage their own calendar sooner than you think. Passing that knowledge along will always beat blaming someone who didn’t make the calendar in the first place.
This article is featured in the March/April 2026 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.
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Comments
As a Substitute Teacher is my local rural High School I see many issues.
1. Too many younger (age 30 & younger) spend too much time & efforts on being their students’ friend than being a mentor & teaching much needed subject matter.
2. The students are spoiled and don’t want to dig into books to learn on their own. They want knowledge spoon fed to them. I blame a lot of this on their parents who are too preoccupied with their own interests than being involved with their children’s school and activities.
3. Many students have no respect nor know how show it to teachers who really are into their jobs, know their subject matter, and want to make a difference in their lives with their lessons they have prepared. Just as I previously eluded to this issue starts at home with their parents.
4. There is a lack of structure and discipline at home. Problems eminating from that again start with the parents but the results are brought into the schools for teachers & administrators to deal with.
5. Finally, there is too much nonsense occupying the attentions of students and taking away from vital class time with students. I. E. One pep rally lasting one hour every week or two is too much. Class times are shortened to accomplish this foolishness which many students could care less about.
Thank you, thank you! I’m a special ed teacher. Until we got a Democrat governor, we couldn’t bargain the calendar. Now, we can run a poll to determine if we want to go back earlier/get out earlier or later/later. That’s about it. And let me tell you that kids need that break. High schoolers have jobs, do internships, or otherwise just get to be kids for maybe the last time. And teachers need it too. Don’t take that from us!