for the time off

The holiday season is approaching, and Thanksgiving is a time for reflection on thankfulness, but that might be hard for some to do, because those that brave the lull of classes that lead up to Thanksgiving regret showing up in the first place.

After enduring almost a semester’s worth of grueling and stressinducing coursework, many look forward to this week of Thanksgiving – some spend time with family, others with friends – but whatever the case is, unfortunately, those who attend school lose out on the fulleffect of enjoying it.

Pierce students only receive Nov. 22 and 23 off. They are required to attend classes Monday through Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Instead of condensing holiday time, Pierce College could start school a week earlier than their planned start date.

The three days prior to Nov. 22 is not only inconvenient, it is a waste of time.

Classes that are in-session during this time sometimes tend to be unproductive, because there is little time to cover course material –which most likely be discarded like the rejected holiday fruit cake, because no one really wants to be in school anyways.

Because a lot of students don’t show up to their classes, professors may be deterred from moving through coursework due to having much of students absent.

Why even conduct class? It is a disservice that everyone is required to be on campus at this time.

In some cases, students opt out of attending classes that week, and professors may even cancel classes.

Many of those that don’t attend class may need to make travel preparations.

According to AAA, 54.3 million people are predicted to travel 50 miles or more from home in 2018, a 4.8 percent increase from last year – the highest volume of Thanksgiving travelers since 2005, with an additional 2.5 million from taking various modes of transportation.

Pierce should care because students should not be missing out on education, because they don’t have time to travel.

In addition to factoring-in travel, students don’t get an adequate amount of time off to fully appreciate and immerse themselves in holiday spirit.

Giving students a break allows them to shed accumulated stress that builds up throughout the semester.

According to an American Psychological Association study, “Vacations work to reduce stress by removing people from the activities and environments that they associate with stress and anxiety.”

In addition to relieving stress, the more time relaxing leads to more productivity.

According to a CNBC.com article named, “Vacation can make you more productive — just ask the Europeans,” Kathleen Potempa, a professor at the University of Michigan School of nursing said “vacations are important because they not only replenish the mind, they also reduce the physical effects of stress on the body."

If given the whole week off, not only will it satisfy “holiday brain,” but students will come back to school satisfied and feeling rejuvenated and ready to prepare for their approaching final exams.