Skip days: they’re the reprieve you look forward to from your 5-day-a-cycle science class.  But every so often, teachers feel the need to interrupt this time-honored ritual.

Occasionally, a class may be behind a teacher’s schedule for a variety of reasons, and due to the strict deadlines of national or statewide tests, they will have to come in during their off day.  This practice has become more popular in recent years, as expectations rise for students to perform highly on these examinations.

Teachers have ample time during a year to prepare their students, as science teachers have an added benefit in the form of a 5th day of instruction during the 6-day cycle.  Students often look forward to their skip day.  They can use this time to catch up with the material and have a day to review everything they’ve learned during the cycle.  However, there are times when teachers decide to meet on their skip day in order to catch up with work.

While teachers do have the authority to do this, it is not right to take away this time from students.  With the extra 5th day, teachers have more than enough time to cover the material in a given school year.  The Schreiber Times believes that making students come in on skip days is unfair and should be strongly discouraged.