Streeter: As a public-school parent, I thought kids had too much time off. Was I wrong?

My kid and I generally take some sort of trip for spring break. The time off at the end of March is usually a welcome respite from the post-holiday business that barrels quickly toward summer break.

But this year? Baltimore City Public Schools, among other districts, had not, until last week, had one complete week of full-day, in-person instruction since the new year. Between holidays, professional development days, snow days, half-days and the three weather-related virtual learning days, there are so many stops and starts to their schedule and continuity that as a parent I sometimes wonder what they need a break from.

I certainly need a break from this child.

“A lot of parents are like, ‘Look, I want them there Monday through Friday, every day from September to June,” said Diamonté Brown, president of the Baltimore Teachers Union. “But what is it that parents actually want? Do you want to reduce PD [professional development] days, or stop having so many holidays off? Do you want us not to close schools in inclement weather?”

No. Probably not. Sigh.

I am full of opinions — that’s my literal job description — but I am also not an educator. I’m just an overwhelmed parent who wants my kid consistently schooled and also out of my house more. My worry is that by the time the kids return to school after spring break, you’re looking straight down the calendar to summer, and they need all the structure they can get.

But I understand now after talking to Brown and Francis Scott Key Elementary-Middle School math teacher Keely Brelsford that educators share those feelings, and it’s not an easy fix.

“A common theme is that more time is needed to plan and prepare, and a common theme among parents is that they needed more consistency,” Brown said. “I believe we want our students in school as much as possible, but we have to have the proper resources to make that happen.”

“It’s super frustrating,” Brelsford told me. She and her fellow staff and students not only endured the weather and other closures like the rest of the city, but have been relocated to a different school building after flooding in her classroom in January led to the discovery of mold throughout the structure.

“Our kids had a week of virtual learning while they figured out where to place us, and they’re adding two days onto our spring break and three virtual days,” Brelsford said. “We got slammed with weather this year, and I know that on virtual days, most of my students aren’t going to log in.”

The inconsistency affects grades and test scores, especially in classes like math. “If kids are struggling learners, they forget,” she said.

I can attest to this. Even though my son’s grades are actually better so far this year, he’s 12 and there’s a lot of distractions and “Squirrel!” happening. It’s bad enough trying to get him to focus in a regular classroom setting.

Brelsford said these gaps hurt students in ways that can’t be graded. “People forget that working in a district like Baltimore, teachers carry children’s trauma,” she said. “We’re usually the most stable person, in many cases, in their lives.”

And even though as a parent it may seem that the teachers are off a lot, Brown said there are 10 professional development days in BCPS teacher contracts, which certainly surprised me.

“I don’t think 10 are too many out of 190 work days,” Brown said. Those days can be used for parent-teacher conferences, training, grading and more. “You can’t just think teachers go to school and graduate and are great teachers. We need time to better prepare for our students.”

Brown said what’s needed is not merely more time in class, but maximizing the time that kids are actually in person, which includes providing school buses for students that travel long distances, or making sure those who have to wait for the bus aren’t standing on ice-covered corners.

“We also need more support for additional faculty and staffing” so that learning can be consistent with fewer substitutes, she added. “We don’t want our children penalized because of adults’ lack of ability to arrange things.”

Brown also believes teachers are not afforded the grace of being human beings who need planning time and a mental health day. After all, they spend more time with your kids than you do. “No other workers think they should be able to work beyond all odds,” she said.

As consistent as Brown wants education to be, she’s all for the planned snow day. “Kids deserve a little fun to enjoy themselves. We don’t want too much time taken away from education, but some balance is OK.”

The schedule did seem off this year, though, Brown said, and the district has made some positive changes, like moving some closures and half-days from Wednesdays to Fridays when it’s easier for some parents to take off. I will admit that in the digital age, I don’t always know when those days are because we’re past the time of flyers being sent home, I don’t always check the internet, and 12-year-olds are terrible schedule accountability partners.

The truth is, teachers can only do so much. “Everything can’t be on the school system,” Brown said. “We are not for child care. That’s not what school is. It’s for education. If they can’t be educated in the building, we need other resources. We just need more.”

Brown said she’s always open to ideas how to make the time teachers and kids do have together more effective. “All our children deserve the stability and the resources. Just because it’s complicated doesn’t mean it can’t get better,” she said.

There are just some things that are unpredictable. In the case of Francis Scott Key, “there was nothing that could have been done. It was a fluke,” Brelsford said of the mold remediation, adding that the school got a well-needed $10 million remodel.

At the end of the day, these educators want what parents want: safe kids learning in a way that doesn’t burn anyone out.

I’m privileged to have a flexible schedule. So I’m going to grumble less, pray for less snow and look forward to summer. Because I need a break, too.