As I’m preparing to return home for Thanksgiving, I can’t seem to be relieved about finally getting a break. From a test I’ve been working towards for weeks to having hours-long assignments due the week we come back from break, I can’t relax. Not to mention final exams are not even two weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m sure many others have this same feeling: Why don’t we get a full week off for Thanksgiving? The last break we had was at the beginning of October, and even then I had tons of assignments to catch up on during that time. If Hampton’s admin asked me if Thanksgiving Break should be longer, I’d give a resounding yes.
HU’s Thanksgiving Break doesn’t officially start until the day before Thanksgiving. Many students leave school before then, and I don’t blame them. Imagine missing out on a day with family and friends back at home just for the professors to cancel class anyway, or do a “virtual” class. Even the professors don’t want to be at school! So it would make sense to not have class the entire Thanksgiving week.
The biggest argument against extending Thanksgiving Break to at least a week would probably be that students would have a hard time returning to class or refocusing for final exams. But you could say the same thing for such a short break. Four days is barely enough time to rejuvenate oneself from long nights of studying and early morning classes. Considering I got sick last year over Thanksgiving, the break wasn’t as restful as I wanted it to be. I felt so unmotivated going back to school for an extra week and a half. Plus, we’ve been running since midterm week. Though midterms aren’t as big as finals, those exams could’ve been make or break for many of us. Don’t we deserve to relieve the stress from the past month?
Thanksgiving Break should be spent enjoying time with family, not Canvas assignments. Even though Winter Break is not too far away, having at least a little extension to Thanksgiving Break would improve my mental and physical health. I believe two extra days won’t make or break our academic performance. I’d probably still be studying during the extra long break anyway.