Obama Wants Longer School

[Mr. E]

Julessleuther, I agree that many teachers get into teaching for the wrong reasons. That someone would become a teacher for the 3-month vacation boggles my mind, and if this is the case, maybe year-round schools is something we, as a nation, need to move to.

I would much rather work in a job I love than have a huge vacation in the summer like that, yet spend 9 months in a job I hate. I enjoyed teaching for the first few years. In the past couple of years, I've found I enjoy it less. In fact, I've begun to actively dislike it. I've started looking for another line of work, but I have no clue where to look. I've been teaching for 10 years now; I don't know anything else.

Things have changed. It is "teach to the test." Everything is all about the end-of-course exam, the exit exam, the state test. My students last year passed their EOC with a success rate of 81%, which is phenomenal. Did I see massive changes in their skills? No. I think I've just become adept at preparing them for the exam.

This does nothing to add to the discussion. I guess I just admire good, dedicated teachers (I don't put myself in that category, though), and I do think that something needs to be done to overhall the public school system in the US. In drama we say, "Give me everything you've got...when it's too much, we'll pull it back." If we need to put kids in school longer, then monitor and adjust ("pull back"), then so be it, but something has got to be done. I had an 11th grade student in my college prep English class who scored so low on the reading level test that it couldn't be scored by the computer. He is graduating this year (no, he did not pass my class, but he made that credit up). He is illiterate. This is not right.

 

[Dawnmarie]

I'm all for year round school with some week long breaks, my kids lose a lot of knowledge over the summer. Longer school days, however, not a good idea. Kids need activities too! Structured and not structured!

 

[6angels]

I think our schools system has been far behind those in other countries. Just look at where we have lost ground: Autmobiles, with European models being more efficient and safer, technoloogy, sciences...

Unfortunately, the teachers in the US are not allowed to disipline the kids, there is no respect in the classroom or for our teachers.

I recall many times I had to sit behind the paino in the corner, and also getting my knuckles wacked with a ruler... and of course detention! Now, what can they do, can they give the kids even "time outs"..?? Teachers today are afraid of the kids, this is wrong, very wrong.... Just mho

so it would be equally ok for me to walk up and "wack the teacher with a ruler" if I thought she was doing something wrong? Or would it not be ok because she is a adult and only ok for a child that can not take up for themselve?

IF ANY teacher or ANYONE lays a hand on my children you better watch out because it will be hell on mommy wheels.

Longer school years? I agree with. The kids really dont need all that time off. not longer school days we are so busy as it is.

 

[Elphaba]

Obama wants this, but yet he sits in an office that is surrounded by school failure of immense proportions. Washington, DC schools are so financially strained, that they are looking to have a large and wide-ranging layoff of teachers. You simply can't have longer school time when the systems as a whole are being mismanaged to the point that they can't even pay to have teachers. I wont even go into how dilapidated so many schools are.

 

[Trino]

Obama wants schools open weekends. Aside from the cost of heating, electricity, monitors, police presence, does he realize the gangbusters who would hang out at schools?

And, what would the kids be doing on weekends at school? Homework? He needs to visit LA, Chicago inner-city, then say that.

 

[Kymistry35]

I used to be an Obama supporter but the more I hear of his plans the less I like him. I would not stand behind my kids having longer school days!! We already get up at 6am so they can catch the bus and they don't get home until 3:45 where they eat a snack and do two hours worth of homework. Right after that, it is time for dinner and bathes...we have a hard enough time squeezing everything into the day now. Where would the extra time come in? I would hate to give up the little quality time I have with them now just so we can compete with other countries. I'd homeschool first.

 

[Julessleuther]

I want to double thank you. Not to bash Obama, but in nine monthes he knows how to run the auto industry, banking industry, health care, and now education? People with years of experience in education have tried to find solutions, and he thinks longer schools days, weekend school, and no summers are the solution? Don't get me started...

Obama wants this, but yet he sits in an office that is surrounded by school failure of immense proportions. Washington, DC schools are so financially strained, that they are looking to have a large and wide-ranging layoff of teachers. You simply can't have longer school time when the systems as a whole are being mismanaged to the point that they can't even pay to have teachers. I wont even go into how dilapidated so many schools are.

 

[txsvicki]

I'd like to see Summer vacation cut in half, but it gets really hot here and it would require lots of A/C. What I'd love to see is for kids with bad behavior or those not doing their homework to be kept after school instead of In School Suspension, and to do away with all the Taks test crapola that interferes with real learning.

 

[Trino]

I'd like to see Summer vacation cut in half, but it gets really hot here and it would require lots of A/C. What I'd love to see is for kids with bad behavior or those not doing their homework to be kept after school instead of In School Suspension, and to do away with all the Taks test crapola that interferes with real learning.

Agreed. Below is a comment from a CA student who went from getting F's to getting B's. Note that he said nothing about a longer school day or longer school year.

http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_13439242?source=rss

"Similarly, sophomore Michael Mendoza, 15, said he used to get kicked out of class for being disruptive. Then, while standing outside his English class, he decided he didn't want to be on the other side of doors any more. He buckled down, asked to sit in the front row and eventually got a different set of friends. His F's turned to B's. Now he's in San Jose High's pioneering engineering class, part of a University of California-approved curriculum."

 

[Mr. E]

Our school used to suspend students after their fourth tardy (per grading period). Absences due to tardies was a huge problem. It never made sense to me: they are resistant to going to class, so you tell them to stay home from school. So this year they are trying something new. Instead of OSS, students are required to go to the alternative school for the day. There, they do school work. I don't know if this is going to work or not, but I like this idea of accountability from students. Tardies at my school are a real problem.

 

[SuziQ]

Obama wants school open on weekends? I haven't read that anywhere.

What Obama is proposing is not any more radical than the "No Child Left Behind" program that Bush started. That program was not without it's serious flaws.

 

[MCDRAW]

Year round schools make more sense than schools with longer days. We have several schools around here that go year round and the children do well-but they don't extend the school day. My kid is in an advanced private school and can have hours of homework. If he had a longer day, he would be up until midnight. Children do lose some knowledge during the three months they are out of school, so a longer school year could curtail some of that and add more math, which I believe is at the top of their "wants" for revamping education.

In my area we don't have year round school but we only have 8 weeks summer vacation. Several of my friends are teachers and they do not want year round school. They say that the week before Christmas break the kids are rowdy because they are excited about the break and the week they come back they are trying to get them back in the groove. They said the year round schedule would just be more interruptions. But who knows if we ever gave it a try they may end up loving it. Personally the longer school day doesn't make sense to me. Some of my children go to public school, some homeschool. The homeschoolers do more in 5 hours then the others do in 7 at school. There are things that need to be cut out and better systems need to be implemented rather than longer days or added days.JMO

 

[Trino]

Obama wants school open on weekends? I haven't read that anywhere.

What Obama is proposing is not any more radical than the "No Child Left Behind" program that Bush started. That program was not without it's serious flaws.

Here's the weekend quote:

"The president, who has a sixth-grader and a third-grader, wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place to go."

http://www.kait8.com/global/story.asp?s=11211734

 

[OneLostGrl]

(snipped from article)

"The president, who has a sixth-grader and a third-grader, wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place to go."

If children are allowed in school buildings on the weekends or after hours, doesn't this open the district up to lawsuits (if injuries occur on their grounds) and maintaining the buildings would cost quite a bit more than it costs currently? I don't see this portion of the article as a method that will be cost effective or logical in this litigous society. JMO.

As far as the main idea of the article, keeping the children in school longer and making summer break shorter. I don't feel that's a good idea for "us" (our family). Our children did well in school with a four day school week, with longer days. Our children do well with a normal five day week. I have no problem with the schedule "as is". This is just my opinion, based on our home life and observations of our children and their "academics". (Believe me, there are some days I think about boarding school. :innocent: J/K.)

Our local schools are not competing with Asia or the like. Our drop out (or kicked out) rate is alarmingly high, IMO. I have trouble with some of the courses that are not offered in our high school. General Math was dropped from the curriculum because children/teens need more Algebra. General Math is "learned" in elementary school. I understand the reasoning, but in all practical purposes, General Math is quite useful. Many "trades" depend on General Math as does balancing the checkbook. Home economics type courses are non existent, I guess we don't need those type of skills to "compete" with Asia or Japan? With the longer school year, will these courses be re-introduced? A longer school year or longer school day will take away from the hours we teach our boys this type of thing at home. What are the schools going to fill the time with? More algebra? More calculus?

I saw on the local news that there is a University offering PE credit for playing Wii. A few years ago I recall a flap over a course in Human Sexuality that used the viewing of porn movies in the syllabus (which I think meant it was "part of the grading process"?) Parents, grants and scholarships are paying for these courses? Will a longer school year or longer school day include "Wii PE"?

I'm sorry for the rant, I just feel like the schools are falling short in so many areas and simply increasing the time spent in school isn't the answer. If you're going to build a better mousetrap, you'd better start from the ground on up. You can't just toss on more stuff without careful examination of the whole structure. Try building a house on a foundation made with weak bricks and see what happens.

Another concern is from an economic standpoint. How will any district's budget handle equipping the schools with cooling systems or A/C? How will districts afford paying the teachers salaries? (Our district is barely making ends meet now.) Will "we" borrow money from China for the weak school budget? Our current economy certainly can't afford higher school taxes. The unemployment rate around here is sky high, I'm not sure who can afford the property taxes as they are, let alone a few extra dollars for the schools?

Lastly, I believe we should look at the other statistics amongst the countries we are trying to "compete with" globally. Divorce in America is upward toward 50%, teen pregnancy is about 10 times higher here than in Japan (and while we don't have home economics courses, we do have a "safe sex" course and the teen pregnancy and STD rates are quite high!), are there other statistics that create a different learning environment for us "vs" them? I honestly believe that we have a lot of housekeeping to do before we will be able to effectively compete with anyone.

This is all my opinion. It is not meant to be disparaging toward anyone, anywhere.

Amen! I pulled my son out of public school this year. They teach them next to nothing and IMO certainly not the things they need to know to get by in the "real world". The kids are bored already.. wait till they have to go to school year round- I'd be willing to bet the drop out rate will sky rocket!

"Education" in this country has become a joke!!

MO

 

[SuziQ]

Here's the weekend quote:

"The president, who has a sixth-grader and a third-grader, wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place to go."

http://www.kait8.com/global/story.asp?s=11211734

Thanks! I don't see that as a bad thing for kids who have nothing to do but hang out and get into trouble on the weekends. It doesn't sound like it would be a mandatory thing. I hope it's not anyways. I think latchkey kids are a huge problem, some changes could help with that and the kids would be learning more. I know my kids were always home by themselves for 3-4 hours before I got home from work. With teenagers...oh my that's a bad thing. I'd rather they be in school.

 

[OneLostGrl]

Obama wants school open on weekends? I haven't read that anywhere.

What Obama is proposing is not any more radical than the "No Child Left Behind" program that Bush started. That program was not without it's serious flaws.

Children are being left behind because of "no child left behind". There are some serious flaws that need to be addressed!

 

[SuziQ]

Amen! I pulled my son out of public school this year. They teach them next to nothing and IMO certainly not the things they need to know to get by in the "real world". The kids are bored already.. wait till they have to go to school year round- I'd be willing to bet the drop out rate will sky rocket!

"Education" in this country has become a joke!!

MO

Year round doesn't mean more school. Summer vacation is shorter and the rest split up over the year. But there is plenty other reasons to hate year round school. lol.

 

[SuziQ]

Children are being left behind because of "no child left behind". There are some serious flaws that need to be addressed!

ITA, my son was one of those that it was supposed to help but it hurt him. IMO, the testing is more evaluating the school and the teachers than it is about teaching and helping the kids.

 

[Trino]

I thought more about Obama's comment about keeping schools open on weekends so kids would have a safe place to go. Don't respectable parents provide a safe place for their children on weekends?

 

[Buzz Mills]

kids spending more time in school is certainly not the key to a better education.

American chinese do their homework first after school; it's a high family priority...the local high school always has multiple kids scoring 800 on college boards, perfect 1600's are not uncommon