Give us another break

You could be wandering here instead of studying at school./ Haley Klassen

Why we should get time off to enjoy the leaves.

Author: Josh Leidl

A fall break for students at the University of Regina would be a great benefit for the entire institution. This break, situated around Thanksgiving weekend, would allow both professors and students alike to begin preparations for their approaching midterms and give a break after the initial pandemonium that is the beginning of a new term. The placement around Thanksgiving is also incredibly convenient as there is already a current holiday; thus, we would only be taking an additional four days instead of five.

The fact that the break would fall a little over a month after classes start is just more time for things to find their place. A fall break would also allow for groups situated on or around campus to hold events and allow the University to become a hotspot for those who are not able to return home for holidays or simply choose to stay around for what would become new festivities. This opportunity for social activities would also serve as a way of not excluding those who decide not to celebrate Thanksgiving and will give everyone a reason to be in a better mood. A buffer between the day to day feel of taking on new classes would also be offset by a break allowing students to get into more of a rhythmic pattern with their work and reading, allowing for an overall smoother experience and a rest in the learning curve.

Time is one of the most important factors in learning as studying, work, and review all take up large amounts of time. Add in the lack of time constraints of running to and from classes, and an incredibly effective learning environment if that is the desired goal for the break. To go on top of all of this, who doesn’t like time off from school? A period of time in which to do nothing is almost always widely regarded as a good idea. Whether it’s that pile of laundry that has been calling your name for the past week, a nice turkey-induced nap that insists it lasts for three days, or visiting those dear to you who live far away, this new break would allow for benefits all around just by giving people time to do as they wish.

Now, there may be some objections to the new proposed break, such as that it will reduce in class time and may pile on work for students. I would like to address the first by bringing up my previous point that a brief period without class will allow for learned material to really sink in and for students to gain a deeper understanding of what they have already learned. Since the first term will have started not too long ago, and that an important foundation of information will have been laid, which will most likely be used for the rest of the term. To the second argument, it would make sense that profs would assign some work for students to do over the break, but a student who is managing their time wisely will most likely only have to write off a day or two of their break for work. All in all, I think I speak for many when I say that a fall break would be incredibly beneficial to the entire U of R.