December has hit and school is close to wrapping up before winter break. Usually, winter break starts a few weeks into December and lasts for two weeks, this of course varies depending on the school, college, or university students are attending.
Image from Unisus School
There is some talk however about extending winter break this year in British Columbia. Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Ministry of Education are looking at options for an early winter break in order to reduce the chance of COVID-19 spreading. This of course would only be in elementary and high school, who are scheduled to be in classes until December 18th. Colleges and universities have their own schedule to follow and a lot of those students are already taking most of their classes from home.
Image from Vancouver Sun
So this begs the question: should winter break be extended? Dr. Bonnie Henry says “We can see that transmission rates are less in schools than they are in other parts of our communities, and we know they are also incredibly important for families and for children to have in-person, in-class schools. But we’re looking at all of our options”
If B.C. wants to make the change it better happen soon, the 18th is coming rather quickly. Ontario has already decided not to push up the break but is considering extending it later in January. This could be the path to take as it allows for more time to decide and would not speed up any courses that still have lots of material to get through.
Education is such a strange field to tackle in a pandemic like this. The need to be there and learning in person is very important, especially in younger students. Any post-secondary courses that are hands-on are also a challenge to balance. All anyone can really do right now is hold tight and keep learning as best they can.