What is a Gap Year and Where Did It all Start? Essay

A large portion of the knowledge gained during the last school year is lost over the long idle months and must be retaught for weeks, which wastes a lot of time that could be spent learning new material. This puts students behind in that year’s curriculum, and over many summers, can add up to students being months or years behind where they would be if no learning was lost. There is a solution to this

You may find it difficult to persuade your parents to let you take a “gap year” between high school and college but it’s not impossible if you come prepared with a good argument and logical reasons to back it up. In a situation like this, appealing to ethos, logos, and pathos comes in handy. To start the conversation, you want to make sure that you have plenty of knowledge on the benefits a gap year can provide and speak of the topic in a mature manner. This is necessary in establishing your ethos to help demonstrate that you are credible speaker for the subject. It is important to be aware of any objections your parents might have in mind. For example, your parents might believe that staying home will be a waste of time, but refute this objection

For decades, primary and secondary schools are stuck in tradition of having school for nine months and having several long breaks including a two-month summer break. Several states in the United States and in Canada have been throwing around the idea of year-round school. Some say that year-round schooling is a good thing for the children and others say that the children need a break from school, but also have a higher chance of forgetting the material before they return to school the following year. With year-round school, its focusing more on the students’ education and not the convivence for parents and school board.

Summer break is supposed to be a time of rest and rejuvenation for students. After nine months of hard work and challenging classes, one would think such a long break could do nothing but good for students; however, this is not the best way for young minds to learn. A three month break is far too long for children to go without proper education and supervision. Instead of a long three month break at the end of each school year, why not give students the same number of days off but spread them out more frequently throughout the year? Year-round education is a more efficient, globally competitive, and fair alternative to the traditional nine month school year.

A teacher who was part of a year round system recounts, “I found myself going through 3 school years without that opportunity for self-assessment and planning for the future of the educational program.” (“The Effect of Year Round Schools” 1999/22 February 2005). With a much shorter summer break, teachers will not have enough time to increase their education, which can benefit the learning of their students. For these reasons, year round schools are not as beneficial as the traditional school year.

Most teachers have most likely heard “I don’t want to be at school” or “I can’t wait for summer.” Toward the end of the school year, teachers become agitated and students put in less effort on their work. To fix this problem, schools should resort to year-round schooling. “Flexible twelve-month patterns can be tailored to fit the personal needs and preferences of each family unit by permitting vacation and other non-school activities to be planned throughout the year” (Glines). During their time of break, students will be able to use the time to collect themselves and become more relaxed. Also, this gives students time to plan activities or

Before I start I would like to give you a little background on Gap Year.

However it can be argued that the more frequent breaks throughout the year will leave students feeling refreshed and ready to continue learning when they get back. In the proposition detailed above, students will have a series of breaks throughout the school year, with the longest being three weeks over the winter holidays. This gives ample amounts of time for families to vacation and celebrate together and hopefully leave the students feeling refreshed and ready to learn when they get back. It was also indicated by administrators that “renewed motivation and continuous injection of new ideas maintained a higher level of enthusiasm than [students] had experienced in their previous traditional calendar schools” and that they fully believed this was a critical factor in improving student performance throughout the year (Shields). It should also be noted that the vast majority of jobs offered globally do not have a summer break, and by shortening summers from 13 weeks to 7, students will be more prepared to enter the work force once out of school, and should have an easier time transitioning into the year round life as opposed to students used to taking 10 to 13 weeks off at

Along with the comeback of school we need to “Pity our poor teachers who spend every September reprogramming children to do their homework, spending hours on remedial lessons and waiting until overtired children readjust to regular bedtimes” says McFeatters. She made me realize that schooling lacks over the summer and forgets to stick for the arrival of school. As stated, teenage workers’ jobs have become taken by those whom are unsuccessful adults trying to make a living. Being a teenager, I plan on trying to get a job, but my education is also in my hands of retaining throughout a summer of jobs and even summer school to keep up with my schooling to get into more colleges with an overloaded class agenda. Year-round school would keep up with my education, and there would be more breaks to find jobs here and there to keep up with extra curricular, or even my car.

It is time to make a decision regarding what to do after high school. The most popular decision is to go right into college. Some students say they would like to take a year off before going to college. This is called a Gap Year, meaning they have a gap in between education. Some do well, and prepare themselves for college, while others do not. Those that do take a year off have time to explore what life has to offer, and takes advantage of the deferment application, become a better person.

Taking a gap year might be a personal consideration but in the end, is it really worth it? A gap year is when students take a year off after high school and don't go straight to college. During the gap year, people usually travel, works, or do something to promote their time off from education. Not many people consider taking a gap year no matter how effective it might be. A gap year allows one to be independent. It allows people to learn about themselves and what they want to do in their life. Gap year allows one to add to their resume. You can see the world and get new life experiences, which is an untradeable prize. On the other hand, going straight to college can have its advantages. Going right into college can give one a head start

Though there are many advantages to taking a gap year, there are just as many disadvantages. People may find themselves unwilling to go back to school, they may lose opportunities for scholarships, or they might not have enough money to support the activities they replace school with. Even their social life could be affected. With all of these negative aspects one may ask, why would anyone risk taking a gap year?

Most students are not over the pressures of being a senior in high school. That’s why the gap year should be taken to release all the stresses of high school. Most students cannot take being stressed out so decide to wait. These students are not capable of attending college due to their mental stability. Being a college student directly from high school could take a great toll on a person physical and mental state.

Since the student is currently learning some independence, this is a great time where they can get to know themselves better. During a gap year, students have the opportunity to get to know them as well as learn what they want to do in life (Ma, 2014). Back in 2013, there were interviews given to many students at different universities, about their experience with a gap year. A student by the name of Eden Full, Princeton University, stated that since he was young, he was always on the path to success. With a gap year, it had given him time to learn some new skills and explore some new interests that he had never had before (Lazaro, 2013). Another student by the name of Tiffany Yanagida, a computer science major at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, stated that a gap year had given her some time to find out her future career path. This was something that she had no idea about at the young age of 18 (Lazaro, 2013). This is a great time to have fun, build up your social network, and go out and enjoy the world.

Taking a “gap year” off between high school and university has become a popular alternative among many adolescents. A “gap year” is a period of time, usually an academic year, when a student takes a break from formal education and routine (“Gap Year.”). This time off provides a break after many years of formal study and is often spent travelling or working. In the past, taking a gap year resulted in problematic return into education. Today, however, they are generally seen as positive and are supported by Universities and employers. The idea behind a gap year is that it offers opportunities practical experiences, which enable young people to learn more about themselves and what they want to do in their future. While education is