Almost everyone is familiar with that lazy, unproductive mood that always seems to hit on Friday. After working tirelessly all week, it is hard to work up the motivation and stamina on the last day before the weekend. 

Many people become mentally tapped out by the end of the week, therefore putting little effort into their work. It is no wonder people are drained. The majority of students have sports, jobs and a couple of hours of homework assignments on top of their long school days. Not only the students, but also the teachers also get very little time for themselves during the day. The time that could be going towards planning or grading is just nonexistent. Something that is slowly growing in popularity is the idea of a four-day school week.

There are benefits of this shortened week for the students, teachers and even the district as a whole. “The four-day school week provides an opportunity for extra rest and a less stressful environment,” said seattlepi.com. An extra day of the weekend could be extremely beneficial and productive for students. They could use it for work in order to earn money for their families or to save for the future. An extra day could even be used as an optional workday for students to come in to earn extra help or retake tests they are missing. This would allow students to focus on the current assignments while in class and leave the make-up work for a specific day, helping them stay caught up. In addition, those who partake in sports and other extracurriculars will not have to miss as much school as they currently do. 

Not only would students benefit, but the teachers would as well. Although it may not be obvious to everyone, teachers are put through a lot. The work they do can be extremely stressful and long. “Teacher burnout has also been cited as a factor: the shorter breaks built into an extended school year may not be enough to offset the ongoing stress that comes with preparing lessons and grading papers, especially for teachers in the upper grades, where lessons are more complex and assignments become more involved”, said seattlepi.com. This extra day will make it so teachers have the time to plan more efficient and successful lessons. They will also have not only more time to grade and plan, but they will be able to put in better effort while doing so. 

When thinking about transitioning to a four-day school week, people may forget about the benefits that are attached to the district itself. “By altering the traditional school schedule, the idea is that districts can save money”, said degree.lamar.edu. Without the requirement of school on Fridays, the district would be able to save money from lunches, maintenance, etc., meaning more money for advanced, updated supplies and equipment in the classrooms. An additional benefit to a four-day school week would mean stronger attendance as students would be able to schedule appointments on their day off. Students would be more motivated to finish the week knowing they only have four days to get through.  

The four-day school week is something that is new and a bit controversial for many people. It does provide many benefits and is slowly gaining popularity. According to edweek.org, “More than 1,600 U.S. school districts have adopted the model as of 2019-20”. As the world evolves, there are many changes being made in order to adapt. The idea of a four-day school week is different and may take some getting used to, but it just may be what the future holds.