Air Academy High School (AAHS) Thanksgiving Break is coming around the corner. The dates for the 2023-2024 school years Thanksgiving Break is from November 20-24. This will be the first official break of the school year which is much needed for both teachers and students. Leading into each break teachers have a specific time window to fit amounts of content in to make sure students are set on the right track.

Each class has a curriculum that teachers are required to meet each year for the amount of content they must teach to their students. This comes with a timeline in order to make sure they meet the curriculum’s criteria.

Relating to Thanksgiving Break or breaks in general, teachers typically like to end a section or chapter of the curriculum before going on break so students do not come back in the middle of content.

” Breaks are very important for both students and teachers. As a teacher and a parents I have noticed students along with my kids becoming frustrated or burnt towards the last weeks before break. I feel the break gives them the ability to get the chance to breath and then come back strong after the time off has concluded,” Sandra Marken, Math teacher at West View Elementary, stated

This tactic is beneficial; however, depending on the class the content can be rushed or not retained because of the lack of attention focused on it. When content is wrapped up at a faster pace than usual it can cause stress on students because the assignment is completed with a “just get it done” mindset.

Many studies have shown that leading up to breaks students begin to check out from their work. 

“I feel like finishing up content before a test going into break works best for me. But on the opposing side if we aren’t leading up to a test it is almost unnecessary for us to rush through a chapter because it is essentially going through one ear out the other,” junior Will Graham explained.

Teachers try to finish reviewing content leading up to a test is beneficial because students can forget where they left off.  

“Leading up to a break I notice myself starting to dissociate or become burnout. Since we don’t get a fall break we have been going for a bit longer than other districts so I feel like when my teachers start to go through assignments at a more rapid pace I feel myself not being able to follow as much,” junior Campbell Huskisson stated.

Students can find themselves beginning to become burned out going into a break which affects the capacity of content they follow in the first place. Each student’s learning pace is different.

Which is why it’s crucial for teachers to follow the patterns of their students as a whole in order to cater to the student productivity and proficiency levels. Teachers should follow students’ overall  learning patterns leading up to break to try and help create the most  beneficial learning environment. Which could fluctuate the overall time spent on each portion of the curriculum.