School Day Extended to 6 PM

[JMHawkins]

There is much that a young person needs to learn and only a portion of it can be taught in a classroom. Locking our children up for 8 hours a day in an institutional setting is an impediment to learning, no matter how carefully we engrave the word "School" on the side of the building.

 

 

[Eagle92]

I gotta agree to the rotating class schedule to lengthen classes.

My HS did that after my 8th grade year. We had a 7 day rotating schedule in which 1 class was dropped each day. It worked out very well.

[sailingpj]

Talking about college for a moment. Shorter total class length with longer individual classes sounds good to me. The hardest part of school for me is about halfway through the semester. At that point I get really bored with most classes. I would much prefer taking two 9 week classes at a time to taking four 18 week classes. I would be able to give more focus to each individual class, and there is less time to get bored and lose interest.

 

Going to Middle and High school. I work at an after school program. The school administration tells us that we have to be an academic program. That really does not work. By the time the kids get to us they just want to do their homework and talk with their friends. Well talk with their friends. Most of our kids don't want to do homework. I can't see them sitting through another 3 hours of school per day.

[SeattlePioneer]

>

 

 

 

This is really the core of the issue for me. Giving the government yet more control over youth seems like a very unwise thing to me. They already have a lot more time and influence than they should.

 

 

Getting back to one of my original questions though---

 

 

What would be the impact of this on Scouting and other voluntary youth programs?

[Jeffrey H]

"What would be the impact of this on Scouting and other voluntary youth programs? "

 

Meetings that are currently scheduled during the weekdays would be negatively impacted. A whole new paradigm shift in the way we do Scout meetings would need occur.

 

My Cub Scout Pack meets on Sunday evenings so I can assume that we would be okay. However, if all extra-curricular activities become crowded on the weekends because there is no time during the week, we could see overall membership in Scouts negatively impacted. Only those families and boys that consider Scouts to be on the top of their priority list will stay with the program.

 

 

[Tessla]

Public schools are free daycare, so I can understand why some people might want to extend that time. Thankfully my son attends a private school which is tailored to his needs. His school day is over as soon as he finishes lessons for the day. He takes more classes than the average public school student and still finishes his day before they do. Plus, he has plenty of time for activities outside of school, of which scouting is his favorite.

[JMHawkins]

Public schools are free daycare...

 

Have you looked at your property tax bill lately? They ain't free...

 

The average around the country is something like $10k per year per student. Works out to somewhere between $9 and $10 per hour. I can hire a babysitter to watch three kids for $10/hr, if that's all I'm after.

[Tampa Turtle]

If you can hire a baby sitter for 3 for $10 an hour you are a better man than I.

[Papadaddy]

OK, this is deteriorating into a public school-bashing session. My wife and I and our two boys are products of the public schools, and we turned out just fine, thanks. If the student is actually interested in learning, shows up to class, does homework, and is not a disruption, there is nothing wrong with a public education. If you want to blame something, blame the culture of parents who have "checked out" of their children's lives and expect the schools to raise them and guarantee their success. Let's start with making sure that each child has TWO parents who are actually interested in and participate in their child's life. That being said, this is an interesting, albeit academic discussion, no pun intended. School Boards in this neck of the woods are slashing budgets now due to the decrease in property tax income. No way can they afford to extend the school day with the concomitant increase in the labor bill for additional hours of salary for teachers, nurses, custodians and administrative staff. Now...back to Scouting.

[JMHawkins]

I just have well-behaved kids Tampa!

 

Sort of. And the babysitter adores our dog...

 

I'm not bashing public schools Pappadaddy. My father was a public school teacher, principal and superintendent. But to borrow a meme I used on the Bye, bye Bob thread, he was one of the Mission people, and there's no shortage of Organization folks in the schools. Schools are important and there are things kids learn best in a classroom. But there are other very important things kids can't learn in a classroom, and it's essential that we not allow the Organization folks to claim all the kid's time and all their parents money. We have to allow kids the opportunity to learn the non-classroom things. Plus, it's easy to say "it's for the kids" and probalby even easy to convince yourself it really is, but sometimes it's not for the kids, it's for the paycheck. It's our job as parents and citizens to figure out which is which.

 

On the babysitter front, Tessla is right that some parents look at school as free daycare. Those fellow citizens of ours pose a problem, because what they want from the schools isn't quite the same as what we want. One of those interesting dilemmas of being a citizen...

[Eagle92]

Pappa,

 

I hate to say it, but depending upon where you live, the quality of the public school system IS sub par (emphasis, not shouting).

 

My mom worked for the public school system, and sent my sister to a private HS, and I was in a private elementary and HA. My older brothers both went to public schools, but they were much older and the school system was better when they went.

 

Two of my aunts, and one uncle, worked for the public school system, but sent my cousins to parochial schools.

 

I had friends whose parents worked for the public school system, and yep sent their kids to private school.

 

Most interesting case my a girl I dated. Both her mom and stepdad were principals in the school system, one elementary, the other HS, and sent both her and her sister to....parochial schools.

 

Also when I was in undergrad and minoring in secondary ed., every single teacher I met in the public schools advised me to not go into the field as the only reason why they remained was b/c they were near retirement. I had major problems with students in the public schools, to the point I almost failed a course b/c the student I was tutoring just would not cooperate and show up to the sessions, or school for that matter.

 

Only problems I had when I worked in the private school was A) the teacher I was working with had an accident and instead of observing him I ended up teaching the class for 2 weeks with a sub in the back, and B) Got kinda interesting one of the students found out she was a relative. School knew as I told them, but the student didn't know until I mentioned her grandfather, my great uncle, was in the hospital.

[whitepine]

Dear God and all that is Holy, why would a person think that extending the school day that late would go smoothly?

 

Maybe a gradual change of length over a few decades or centuries would work, but not going until 6! I can't even focus in the latter half of my 4th block class. (during a 7hr day) It never ceases to amaze me that adults think that they can change the lives of children and young adults without protest from the affected minors. To put this in context for you, the idea suggested is like a forced absorption of the BSA by the Girl Scouts. You would see large numbers of people dropping out, and the seemingly good idea thought up by administrators would turn out to be a nightmare for those involved.

 

Neither American teachers nor American students would take it well. Also, after school activities, businesses, and our culture would suffer. For instance, how would you have time to have a scholastic football game? Student athletes get out before 4 around here, and things aren't ready to start until 7pm.

[Papadaddy]

Budgets are so tight around here that JV and middle school sports are being eliminated, along with bus transportation to the "academies" for the "gifted" (I hate that label). Parents are livid, because now they want to raise the property tax rate.

[Tampa Turtle]

Hawkins,

 

With your well behaved kids I hope you know how lucky you got it!

[Eagle92]

Pappa,

 

I must respectfully disagree with ya on the need for "academies." As for the term "gifted" there are better terms I agree.

 

I know I went to a private elementary school that divided the students into 3 groups based upon abilities and skills up to 6th. Reason being that the teachers would better use the class time working with students with similar abilities AND the student would learn better if continually challenged.

 

When you got to 7th & 8th grades (FYI I went to a HS for 8th), they divided you into 6 groups based upon your skills: 3 groups based on the liberal arts subjects ( English, History, etc.) and 3 groups for the sciences ( math, science,etc) Again the concept was the student would learn better being challenged and teachers would work better working with students with similar skills. It worked pretty well if you asked me.

 

My HS did the same thing: placed you into one of two programs (College Prep and Accelerated (eventually you would be able to take AP classes), and even within the program you would be divided up based upon skills. Again it worked.

 

But somehow that changed in the public school sector. The theorists eventually pushed the concept of everyone being equal and put into the same class, despite their KSAs. Education has suffered as a result IMHO. I knew that some of my Ed. profs disagreed with those theories, even though they had to teach them, and when it came to the practicums, encouraged us to go "old school"