School Calendars Ugh!

[Its Me]

None of the local school calendars match. All the private schools match each other. Mainly because of Cristian holidays such as Cristmass and Easter. The private ones all take early winter breaks and March Spring breaks. But the public schools, noooooooo the standardized testing comes right in the middle of the traditional Easter week. No day offs for either Good Friday or Easter monday. Only two days off in March, one for the county fair and one for grading. Not even one for President's day in February.

 

On top of that, when my kids went to public school, teaching & learning ended the day after state wide testing. So for the ten weeks following the March testing it was school-light.

 

Standardized test are likely helping our schools / studentx. However, the traditional school calendar has been hacked into unrecognizable form. School start dates had been pushed all the way to the first few days in August. Some even into July. That is until the State passed a law saying that schools must not start prior to a week before labor day. This is now the new and improved calendar taking the new law into effect.

 

So if the districts are trying to get as much time as possible before the State wide exams why not move these exams to mid May?

 

I so wanted to take the boys on a 30 mile, five day hike in the spring so they could earn their backpacking merit badge. Now I will either have to jam it into an already crowded Cristmass break or hold off until June.

 

 

 

(This message has been edited by Its Me)(This message has been edited by Its Me)

[kb6jra]

So there are others as well...good to hear I'm not alone in the world anymore.

 

Some years ago I had 3 kids in 2 different schools with 3 different schedules. The School District we were in was on a year round schedule, which in my opinion just sucks. Each kid was on a different "track" and it took almost an act of congress to get that changed. The only thicker beauracracy than a school is the fed IMO.

 

My wife and I got to the point where we just scheduled vacations when we wanted to go, since the School District refused to publish the calendar more than a week before school started. 9 times out of 10 it was during school, but we just had given up on the whole messed up experience. We'd get the school work ahead of time and have it finished when we got back. The school didn't like it because when the children were not in class, they did not get paid for having them there.

 

Oh well, I'm glad I'm past all that. I ended up moving to an area who's school districts have traditional calendars, except where Spring Break is concerned, they've got that all messed up, just like your area.

 

The real fun part is when you've got something scheduled for summer and the kids still can't participate because: 1.) Kid A has marching band, and the band director insists that all band members work all summer long, 5 days a week, sometimes through the evenings, to get ready for band season. If they miss a single practice, they're immediately demoted and thier grade suffers when school resumes. 2.) Kid B is a member of the water polo team and they have training 50 out of 52 weeks a year, miss one day and you get tossed off the team and loose your first born.

 

Had this screw up troop outing and High Adventure trips all too often in the past. I wish the demi-gods of High School would get a life.

 

Good luck.

 

[John-in-KC]

My Eagle son was scheduled to staff at one of our Council's Scout Reservations last year. Had his contract and everything.

 

Then he got his "on-curriculum" date for Band: Whoops, fundamental conflict! (On-curriculum is our Districts buzzword for wrestling, basketball, football, band, drill team, flag team, cheerleaders, ... it means the content is part of the GRADE PLAN, even though first day of school is two weeks away).

 

Fortunately, the other Scout Reservation had a more suitable employment package for him. He even got a RAISE, just for switching jobs.

 

He's in his second season serving Theodore Naish Scout Reservation, on the Bear Family Resident Camp staff

 

 

[kb6jra]

As a Scoutmaster, I've had to wiggle around the schedules of high school sports coaches and music teachers, even AYSO coaches and Little League coaches. As an example I've had boys that were never able to join the OA, year after year being voted in only to be told that if they went to Ordeal and not band practice, soccer practice, whatever, they'd be drummed out of the corps and left hangin. I don't think any of them would give me the slightest reciprocity with my program, even though I think scouting holds more value than any of those others.

 

Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. Sportsmanship is something you practice on someone else's field, etc.

 

I have no love for punitive extra curricular school activities...sorry.

[Gunny2862]

This is the first year that my university/ work calendar has been coincident with my son's public school calendar. I certainly hope it stays that way(knocking the side of my head in lieu of any wood around) but we are already in the throes of knocking up against sports schedules.

 

15 mandatory practices before you can play - conflicting two weeks prior to school with Scouting, so miss two meetings and a camp out (to miss three practices) or sit out two of seven games - crazy. Especially since my son was one of five who went to a five day, 3 hour a day, minicamp for skills positions run by the same coaching staff. I'll be speaking to the coach and seeing if an accommodation can be made considering that when school starts the conflict goes away.

 

And that's just one kid's, one sport, conflict.

 

For my opinion on homework and standardized testing, I generally agree with the below listed book. Some things do need practice but even in math and music there is a difference between practice and just grinding monotony.

 

Author Kohn, Alfie.

Title The homework myth : why our kids get too much of a bad thing / Alfie Kohn.

Publisher: Cambridge, MA : Da Capo Life Long, 2006.

Edition: 1st Da Capo Press ed.

 

[CA_Scouter]

I too find that school gets in the way of Scouting. If only people would get their priorities straight....

 

:-)

 

 

 

[Beavah]

(oops, double post)(This message has been edited by Beavah)

[Beavah]

Yah, Its Me, same everywhere, eh? Especially in the mix of public/parochial/private calendars, and da public calendars often not getting set until right before school starts.

 

I used to be a "school first" guy, but they've just been abusin' the prerogative. And an extracurricular ain't the same as "school" even if they get a "grade" for football. Got a lot of SM's locally who get pretty frustrated that the paid professional band/sport teacher gets to make everything "required" because his/her time is valuable, but the volunteer SM has to schedule extra days, make-up time, put in more effort in order to work around the band/sport schedule which came out after da scout calendar was set.

 

We've seen more parents take kb6's route. Some troops are startin' to do that, too, eh? Just plannin' an event as best they can, and then havin' kids who want to participate take off.

 

No easy solutions.

 

Beavah

 

[John-in-KC]

"No easy solutions."

 

Amen.

 

To me, the root cause is far deeper than Scouting/School. From what I see, it's the dollar cost of finishing a young person to enter adulthood. Too many parents have not set aside. Parents understand debt is not good. The result is they are looking for any money they can find.

 

Two of the young men who shared Eagle son's COH are footballers. Ran into them at HS senior registration yesterday. Blindingly obvious they have been working strength and conditioning. They are counting on athletic scholarships as Plan A for college.

 

Once the parent decides on Plan A, money becomes the point of deference to coaches over scoutmasters.

 

Eagle son and I visited the band director a couple of weeks ago: I had specific questions since I'll be doing a project for the boosters this year, son had questions about leadership. Director and I ended up talking a bit about young people. A few years back there was a "phenom" whose parents relocated to be in the school! The "phenom" didn't put forth the effort (all-district auditions, honor bands, music festival), but a young man who was OK did. Guess who got the scholarship recommendation (and the money)? The OK kid!!

 

Until we re-prioritize and rationalize how we get post-secondary finishing for life (be it vo-tech, ju co, university, the military,...), we're going to have a problem when Scouting collides with school.

 

My thoughts.

[Gunny2862]

John, I wholeheartedly agree - money for college, or scholarships shouldn't be entering into the equation. But unfortunately the planning has to start early to work and we are an instant gratification society.

 

We, knowing it wasn't the best vehicle - but one we would do - bought into a pre-paid college plan and had it paid off before the child was 5. We are leveraging his own goal to attend Annapolis into grade pressure(academics plays a role in scholarships too, if Annapolis doesn't work out) and the outside activities will work themselves out if we can just keep him from burning himself out.

Scouting, Orchestra, Wrestling and Football already has the kid working year round and he's only a seventh grader.

 

And for CA_Scouter, I don't hear anyone griping about school(academics) itself, just the interesting fact that anytime school is in session(or in my case the two weeks prior to school starting) the educators think they can demand the childs presence in or OUT of school hours(for what was an extra-curricular activity when I was in school) or hold a grade against them.

 

[John-in-KC]

Gunny,

 

I guess folks don't understand that the winnowing from HS to college athletics is steep, and certainly the winnowing to the pro level is hugely steep.

 

I've seen the non-Scouting kids, the non-participating kids, the ones who end up in trouble with the law. I see the kids who commit themselves to Scouting, band, football, whatever...

 

When I see the dedication on a face, when I see the smile when she's exhausted but got it done, when I see the Aims translated from the campsite into the classroom, I get really happy, because those are the young people who "got it".

 

This morning, Eagle son warmed up before band camp with his parts for 3 of his pieces, as well as marching E-Flat warmup scale. Tonight, he'll lead 100 Bears and their adult partners down the trail to campfire, playing his beater tuba with "Do your best, your best, the motto of a Cub Scout;" ... he took a Boy Scout camp ditty that he had no sheet music for and composed a bass melody line for his instrument.

 

Later tonight, he'll play Taps for the camp... on the tuba.

[Gunny2862]

High school to college is a steep climb. Shoot, around here being a High School senior doesn't guarantee a slot on the Varsity BENCH!

 

 

[John-in-KC]

8 weeks or so from now Eagle son will audition for which band and which chair he sits after marching season. Being a Senior does not guarantee him a spot in Symphonic Band.

 

Demonstrated ability is pretty much the standard for assignment everywhere now. Seniority doesn't count for much except in 401K accumulations anymore...

 

 

[SWScouter]

Hey Its Me, the Zodiak killer spelled Christmas with two esses at the end too.

[Scouting Mom]

Wow, I will forever count my blessings.

 

Our school schedule is published two years in advance. Private schools arrange their schedule to correspond to the public schools. The county prohibits fall sports practices to begin before a certain date in August. A coach even got fired for trying to force players to start earlier. We are one of the earliest districts back to school in our state at a week and a half before Labor Day. Our mandatory standardized testing is in March too. I bet it has something to do with reporting it to the federal government. BUT Spring Break statewide must include Good Friday and Easter Monday, so testing must work around that.

 

And our School Superintendent has declared public support for scouting and it's principles.

 

But we have no houses left, so you all can't move here, sorry.