School Day Extended to 6 PM

[SeattlePioneer 144]

 

 

 

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-parenting/post/is-full-day-school-best-for-all-kids/2012/04/23/gIQAgQU5bT_blog.html

 

 

 

I've been seeing several recent articles proposing to extend the school day to 5-6PM.

 

Is this wise? And how might it affect Scouting and other youth programs that are independent of schools?

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

I think it is a bad idea. The day is long enough as it is. It will push back extra-circular activities and impact scouts more.

 

Here it is almost that long and combined with taking the bus a lot of kids get home around 5ish anyway. Combine homeworks and they really don't have much free time. We already are lengthening the school year...

[Jeffrey H 25]

There is already wasted time during the school hours as it is. A student can receive a quality education in half the time of the current schedule if the time is used wisely. My wife is an teacher and she sees the wasted time during the day. Proposing an increase to 5 to 6 o'clock is just babysitting for the parents. With strained school budgets, I don't see how this can be justified on simply cost alone.

[perdidochas 658]

Obviously the people who propose that have never taught a 7th period class.

 

I do agree that we should probably go to a longer school year. If I were king of the U.S., I would reduce the length of the school day, increase the length of the school year. I would fund after school programs, to give kids a chance to do school work and have some fun (after all with a reduced school day, we would need more for the kids to do besides school).

 

The European countries that are ahead of us academically do just that. They have a longer school year, and a shorter school day. Most German equivalents to high school let their students out at what we would consider to be a late lunch (1-ish).

[CalicoPenn 729]

Just what we need - School Buses on the road during rush hour - and how do folks think this will be paid for? Do they really think teachers will work longer hours for the same pay? What kind of improvement in educational quality do they think will happen when the teachers and students are burned out by 4:00? Do these people really think parents will have less stress when they get home from work at the same time their children get gome from school? Obviously, these people aren't parents.

[Lisabob 13]

Maybe that would allow for recess and gym class to be added back into the regular school schedules?

[Eagle92 110]

My thoughts.

 

#1 This will put kids getting home much later. I'm already hearing about kids on buses 1-2 hours one way. get out at 6, two hours home, that's 8PM!

 

#2 Who is goign to pay for it? Longer hours means more money for salaries, overtime, etc. PLUS add in food meal programs and other mandated programs that will need to be expanded. In addition to Breakfastes and lunches, we'd have to deal with dinners too.

 

#3 What about extracurriculars? I admit I am pro education and think that classes come first, but there are benefits to extracurriculars.

 

#4 I see other organizations: sports leagues, dance studioes, etc really coming down on this as it will affect their buiseness.

 

#5 I am so glad I home school. My son does one formal class, Sunday School, and he is bored out of his mind. He says its basically stuff that he can do in 10-15 minutes on his own.

[Lisabob 13]

Eagle92 - this is merely an op-ed piece in a newspaper. I am extremely confident in predicting that it ain't gonna happen in reality for a host of reasons, some of which have already been mentioned.

 

 

[Papadaddy 121]

This would solve the daycare dilemma and expense. Parents would probably love it.

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

At least here in Hillsborough County (claims to be the 6th largest district in US) the sole determinant would be money. If it will somehow save money they might do it. Very little thought seems to be given to how it affects families.

[Beavah 205]

Yah, at least it makes things more transparent, eh?

 

As an educator friend of mine says from time to time, da real purpose of public education is to lock kids up for the day so the adults can go do adult things.

 

B

 

[skeptic 1002]

There are some good reasons for having school go longer; but it would also mean starting later. Study after study has shown adolescents do not function well in the morning, as they need to sleep later than normally allowed. So, if school started two hours later, say 10 or so, and went to 5, or 11 and went to 6, it might be better on the middle school and high school levels. Anyone who has taught knows that kids generally are zombies for the first couple of periods, and they often get little out of the periods. A mid morning class is generally much more attentive and involved. More time for sleep, and a better opportunity for a real breakfast might mean a lot.

 

But, due to the work schedules of most parents, it would not be particularly viable, unless they have a way to make sure the kids are up and moving to get to a later school day, as well as eat and so on.

 

And as noted, sports and so on would be negatively impacted if academics went later. Not likely practices would be viable in the morning, for the same reason classes are harder for that age.

 

So, do not see much chance for this, at least not with our current societal norms. Now, if later was an option, for those families for whom it might be better, it would be interesting. Would also give teachers options for their own work times. Some might prefer doing their out of school work earlier in the day, and going later, especially ones without children at home.

[Scoutfish 16]

While you can no doubt, not pin point all the woes of our current education on any one cause...I have noticed that many schools now ponder wether to even have recess anymore.

 

Back when I was in school, students did have a better shot at learbning, we also had an entire hour to play, plus we got an hour for lunch, and a short break during the day.

 

So, lets take young kids, stick them in a chair all day without stretching their legs, and have a teacher drone on and on and on.

 

No free time, no break, no chance to unwind. Then every teacher will assign homework as if they are the only teacher who does that, and you have kids getting up at 6 am to get ready for school and who have no break during the day, then stay up til 9 or 10 at night doing homework. The kicker?

 

Teacher4s whio think you are bored to tears during the weekend and so they assign you a couple extra reports or projects that require you to work all weekend long for the next 3 months!

 

Again, not the whole problem, but one of the many parts of it.

[BadenP 93]

 

One point that no one has mentioned is that the teachers unions and school administrators would never allow it to happen.

[SSScout 1616]

And an hour or more on the bus each way, how many hours away from home? When to eat breakfast? Dinner? With or without family?

 

*Less stressed parents? How bout MORE stressed teachers? a ten hour day 5 day week? Divying that up would be a nightmare, maybe not impossible, but wow.

* We micromanage a 6.5 hour school day (8 hour for teacher) into 7 class periods and .5 lunch . The students can and do walk between classes (4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, depends on the school). And at 7th period many of them are wiped out, ready to nap and/or veg out by the tv.

Many acadamicians believe the better way is to LENGTHEN classes and SHORTEN the class period (ie. instead of 4 months of a 40 minute class, make it 3 months of a 50 minute class, and stagger them thru the semester.

*The private school I sub for does 6 periods , .5 lunch, in 8am to 3pm. Smaller classes, longer times, subjects rotated thru the semster. Not the same rotation every day, frinstance Science twice a week, spanish twice a week, music/drama twice a week.

*And why not make the year one of equally spaced Trimesters, and let the parents choose which two per year to attend? Let teachers bid for which two to teach. Equalize things. Or , if the student is up to it, take the trimesters straight thru, shorten high school by a full year. Graduate at 16.

*And hey, add 15 more students to each class, make school much more efficient. Fewer teachers needed. Nothing wrong with 45 students in a class. Band and Orchestra does it, why not history or algebra.

 

The problems (all of them) stem from this , which any teacher can attest to: about 1/ 3 of the students above 6th grade would learn if dropped on a desert island with sufficient books/internet connection, 1/3 want to learn and can with a little help and guidance, 1/6 needs to be constantly reminded of the benefit of education and the remainder will (as a phys Ed teacher once told me) "never get it".

The scheduling adjustments mean nothing if (1) the teachers are not dedicated and properly rewarded (2) the students are not encouraged and disciplned by loving and attentive parents and (3)

the schools and are not properly equipped and maintained.

See #2 above.