Extending the Academic YearThere has been much discussion about whether or not to extend the academic year for high school students. Some think it will better prepare them for college; and others think it won't make any difference if the school year is extended. The school year should not extend any longer than it already has. There are many points that lead to the conclusion that the academic year should not be extended, for example, increased stress on the student, the age and youth of the students, and financial issues with public schools. The academic year should not be extended longer than it already is because it would bring the high school student a lot of stress than they already have. High school is already too much for students right now. When teachers complete their studies, they quickly flip through them to try to complete the textbooks. I don't think it has so much to do with completing the texts, but rather with helping the student learn. Students are so rushed with what they need to learn, that they don't have time to let what they have learned settle in their minds. Society now has a faster pace and forces children to age prematurely. The main reason people want to extend the high school year is to prepare students for college. Well, college students have more vacations and much longer summer vacations than high school students. How does a longer school year prepare students for college? It doesn't really prepare them for college. Nothing can actually help prepare a student for college until they actually enter college. Maybe if high school studies weren't so rushed and actually gave the student... half the homework... then it would be even harder to try to find more teachers for the summer. Another point is that many teachers take this job opportunity because, not only do they like it, but they probably also enjoy their nice and long summer holidays more than the students. This is the time to get away from all the kids they have to see and deal with for more than half the year. I think there should be some sort of summer program for students who want to receive higher education. I think it should be the students' choice on how they want to be educated and it would be a good opportunity for them to make their own decisions about their own lives instead of society trying to manage it for them. This issue should really be considered by the students themselves and people should listen to what they think. It is the student's life and he should be the one in control of it, not someone else.