3 min read
visuals – visuals (unsplash.com)
Introduction
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen a various set of videos be created spread a really big lie regarding Trump’s 6-month school year change.
Turns out, if you fabricate something well enough, not many (with essential common sense) will be able to tell that it’s not real.
Let me explain a little more.
Trump’s “6-Month School Year” Summarized
Starting a few weeks ago on TikTok, there were a collection of videos being made regarding Trump’s plan to sign a new order of some sort, limiting school year time to just 6 months; rather than the usual 10. (school ends in june, starts in august. That’s two)
In reality, THIS WAS ACTUALLY TRUE. Trump did indeed have a plan to limit the school year to just 6 months of the year. However, it never went into effect. Right now, it’s just speculation.
Those videos that you’ve been seeing online of the concern are not real (if they propose that Trump has confirmed the change). Turns out that the states are the ones who are in charge of deciding school laws and implementations, not the president or country.
Why? Trump’s idea, supposedly, is to allow kids to better enjoy their childhood and spend more time being kids. However, the effects of making this reality could be devastating on the country and even world’s economy in a few generations. Even a few years (10 at least) would be extremely concerning.
The truth is, unless kids are going to school for 12 hours a day, this change will never happen.
TikTok & Misinformation
The great thing about TikTok is that it provides a seamless opportunity for people all over the world to communicate, share their lives, and learn more about the world. Before the internet and social media, we knew about each other through word-of-mouth. Did I know how this experience was? No, I wasn’t even born.
However, what I know for sure is that I don’t know how life would be without these apps. Not having someone’s social media and completely losing all possibility for contact after high school seems scary. Thankfully, most of us will never have to endure that.
Before I go too far off, there’s also a lot of misinformation online. YouTube and Instagram, really any online platform, suffers from this problem too. People spread misinformation about themselves, their lives, the world, whatever they can really.
Connecting To The Issue
Trump never did sign anything or confirm anything. That never happened. Some part of me believed it too, but it also just seemed so surreal.
After all, what does the government really gain from doing this? Teachers would theoretically work less hours, governments would have to re-balance their pay and hours. More people end the school year knowing less, and potentially less educated. Most parents also don’t have enough money to send their kid to day camp if their not old enough to get a job or work. Overall, it’s a bad for practically everyone.
I’m not saying that I like school or anything like that. All I’m hinting at is the fact that this would probably destroy so much rather than help anyone.
These videos never explained this, and just “confirmed” with some video evidence of some sort of Trump signing something. Honestly, it seemed pretty believable to me. If I was gullible enough, and didn’t really think about thinking the potential effects as well as just applying my common sense, then I probably would’ve bought it. Additionally, why would he decide to do this NOW? Of all times? Most people are starting school, have already started school, or are on the verge of starting school again.
As I’m saying, things don’t add up. Logic isn’t being supported.
How To Tell If Something Is Real
I’m going to add this section for those of you who might need it. It’s not always that easy to tell if something is fake. I’ve seem some really convincing AI videos in the past couple of weeks and thought they were real. They weren’t.
However, if you’re ever suspicious about anything, just google it. That’s all you really need to do. 9 times out of 10, if you feel something is off and just doesn’t add up, it’s usually because it doesn’t. For now, you don’t really need to worry about AI tricking you or anything. Not just yet.
Trump’s 6-Month School Year Plan, In Some Detail
Donald Trump has openly discussed the idea of changing the traditional 9-month (it’s really 10 months but we’ll move on) school year to a 6-month school year. There is no evidence that this proposal has been taken into effect (become official policy). Some outlets have backed that Trump hasn’t taken any formal moves to act on this change.
Proposal Details: Trump introduced the idea during a nationally televised speech in August of this year (so yeah not too long ago); arguing that a shorter school year would align with modern economic needs and allow students time for other pursuits (internships are a good example). He noted that countries like Japan and Finland support his reasoning. What kind of economic needs you might ask? I don’t know.
Support & Criticism: Supporters claim this could make schools more efficient and save costs (completely true); while critics (teachers and experts) warn towards the impact on underprivileged students, suggesting an eventually large economic divide
Overall, the idea is extremely controversial and would require several mountains of evidence for it to be enacted. Remember that Trump has only hinted at the change, not actually gone forward and done anything. As of right now, class of 2026 will go the same. There’s a decent chance that the class of 2027 have it the same way too. However, we can’t be certain with future classes and on because change is always possible.
Conclusion
As of right now, school will still continue to be 9/10 months. Whatever you consider it to be. So it won’t change unless some massive push forwards happens. Until then, we’ll continue with the same regular yearly schedule.
