Two-day weekends just aren’t cutting it. By the time Friday afternoon rolls around, I’m ready to sleep for 12 hours straight, binge-watch something mindless and maybe start that homework I’ve been ignoring. But just when I finally start to relax, Sunday night hits like a brick wall and boom—it’s back to early mornings, homework panic and speed-walking to class.

It’s time we get more three-day weekends. 

Imagine if that extra day off wasn’t just a rare treat, but the norm. Studies show that longer weekends improve mental health, productivity and overall happiness. A 2021 study by Autonomy found that employees working a four-day week were 20% more productive while reporting higher levels of well-being. 

Iceland even ran trials between 2015 and 2019 showing that shorter work weeks “dramatically increased” well-being without decreasing overall productivity.

If adults can benefit this much from an extra day off, imagine what it could do for sleep-deprived students juggling tests, sports, clubs and group projects.

Plus, weekends barely feel like weekends anymore. For any busy high school student, Saturday is for catching up on work and Sunday is spent dreading Monday. With a three-day weekend, you get a true rest day and time to handle responsibilities without sacrificing your sanity. Teachers could use the break too, as there are too many papers to grade in too little time as is. 

Wouldn’t school feel less draining if we had that extra day to reset? Mondays wouldn’t be filled with groaning students and triple-shot coffee orders. We’d all show up a little more refreshed and a lot less grumpy.

District 203, give us more three-day weekends. Your students — and teachers — will thank you.