Do you think public school days should be longer?

[Kfamily]

My dds were watching Fetch with Ruff Ruffman (spelling ?) and one of the challenges was for one boy on the show to meet with Senator Kennedy. The Senator gave him an assignment to gather opinions from children and teachers as to whether they thought the school day should be longer. He also met with Margaret Spellings, the Secretary of Education, who (no surprise) felt that the school day should be longer. I think this is in the works and was wondering what others thought of that idea. The show ended with the idea that everyone (the Senator, the Secretary of Educ., parents and children) likes the idea of extending the school day.

 

I don't know enough about it but I'm initially leaning far away from liking this idea (maybe recent threads on education which have shocked me have something to do with this :D) but I am aware that some children would be okay with this idea as school is often their safe haven. I also know that in other countries the school days include Saturdays. I guess I think with the way schools are now I wouldn't want to see children there longer but I'm still weighing this out.

Edited August 16, 2009 by Kfamily

[Avila]

I can see how this might get a lot of support and might easily happen. All the parents who work and have to pay for after school care might really go for this. I feel like if the schools can't do it in the time they have, adding hours isn't going to fix the problem. The kids (and teachers) will just be more tired and frustrated and the end of the day will be mostly daycare anyhow.

 

There have been rumblings about year-round school here too, mostly, I think, from people who don't want to pay for summer daycare. I am sure there are other reasons to support these things, but I haven't heard any. It will be interesting to hear if anyone here supports this and can give me some insight on why. I guess at least with year-round school the argument could be made that the kids would forget less.

 

For my own selfish benefit, longer hours (and year-round school) would be great for us, since it would greatly extend our ability to have parks, pools, zoos, libraries and other field trips to ourselves without the crowds!

[Pamela H in Texas]

For kids like most of those represented by the parents on this board, longer school days would be a negative. They have family time, activities, games, "field trips," "church" (congregation meetings in our case, temple for others, etc), etc. Those kids would negatively be impacted by a less full childhood, education, and life.

 

But our kids are not in the majority. This is not a time when most parents are home to cook with their kids, go over homework, "afterschool" to some degree, give them a rich educational environment, etc. Too many kids are going home to empty homes or watching siblings. They are spending HOURS watching tv and playing video games. They often don't get homework done and it's rarely checked. There aren't library trips before supper, a family meal, games, and discussion.

 

Though I don't like it, maybe it would be better for them to have an opportunity to work with knowledgable people on homework. Maybe group discussions, book/language/chess/math clubs, etc would be good for them. Many schools have these to some degree but they often are optional or cost. Longer school days would allow them to be included for most children instead of just some. They would also likely offer snacks. If healthy, that would be another plus.

 

Generally, I AM against it. However, after talking to my mom who works in a poverty stricken school district in Houston, I'm just not so sure. It seems that many kids these days would benefit from being in a structured environment rather than running the streets or wasting their lives in front of screens.

[lulubelle]

A longer school day!? And when are parents raising their kids? I am totally against longer school days or public school at all (as I am a hs and on a hs board). If the majority think it's a good idea then that is sad.

[AmeliaJade]

If the schools are already failing with the hours they have, then what good would an additional few hours do? What purpose would that serve? It is nothing more than daycare for working parents.

 

My boys are a grade or two ahead of where they would be in PS and we sit down for lessons for four hours a day.

 

It isn't the quantity of education the schools need to be concerned with, it is the quality. But they'll never get a clue.

[MariannNOVA]

It seems that many kids these days would benefit from being in a structured environment rather than running the streets or wasting their lives in front of screens.

 

Unfortunately, Pamela's words ring true with me and my observations as a classroom teacher and as a homeschooling mom.

 

Lauren's comment about parents raising their own children is an excellent one, however, I fear that the truth of the matter is that particularly in the situations mentioned by Pamela, parents are not raising their kids AT ALL, and the structured environment provided by longer hours and a different school year schedule would be beneficial to many kids.

 

Interesting thread!

[amy g.]

As a former public school teacher, I know that kids' brains just shut down after a certain number of hours, so I would not be in favor of more academics.

 

On the other hand, I worked at a low income school where voluntary after school classes were offered in cooking, nature studies, jewelry making, sports, dance...and anything else we could find college kids to teach.

 

That was a fantastic program. I've also started after school programs at low income apartment buildings. Otherwise the kids would have been unsupervised for hours.

 

I am not in favor of anything that mandates kids spend less time with their families, but enrichment programs for the children of working families are great.

[Corraleno]

I would only be in favor of extended school days IF (1) it was optional (i.e. parents who actually wanted to spend time with their kids could opt out) and (2) kids had a choice of using the extra time for either help with homework or additional nonacademic activities like art, music, sports, etc. But I fear that if extended days become the norm, teachers and administrators will just fill it with mindless busywork or use it for standardized test prep or some other nonsense.

 

Jackie

[Erica in PA]

My dds were watching Fetch with Ruff Ruffman (spelling ?) and one of the challenges was for one boy on the show to meet with Senator Kennedy. The Senator gave him an assignment to gather opinions from children and teachers as to whether they thought the school day should be longer. He also met with Margaret Spellings, the Secretary of Education, who (no surprise) felt that the school day should be longer. I think this is in the works and was wondering what others thought of that idea. The show ended with the idea that everyone (the Senator, the Secretary of Educ., parents and children) likes the idea of extending the school day.

 

I don't know enough about it but I'm initially leaning far away from liking this idea (maybe recent threads on education which have shocked me have something to do with this :D) but I am aware that some children would be okay with this idea as school is often their safe haven. I also know that in other countries the school days include Saturdays. I guess I think with the way schools are now I wouldn't want to see children there longer but I'm still weighing this out.

 

Absolutely not. There is so much wasted time in most public schools as it is. For children to spend even more time away from their families than they already do, for yet more wasted time, would be a very bad thing, imo. I think a very good thing for those concerned to look into, is making the hours that children already spend in p.s. more productive and effective.

[swellmomma]

A longer typical day, NO. But I also do not think the kids need to get out at 11:30 am every Thursday either in addition to the 1-3 days off every month for professional development, nor the time wasted watching disney movies etc. If the time they are in was used effectively, and they weren't out early every week, and off completely for several days so much more would get accomplished and there would be no need to consider lengthening the overall day.

[hsmamainva]

No, I don't think the days should be longer, BUT I do think the school year should be extended.

 

Our youngest is in public school (she has a fairly significant degree of autism). Her last day of school was June 8th. She won't return until September 8th.

 

That means no speech or occupational therapy for 3 months (we can't afford to go private over the summer -- not at $75 a session per therapy).

 

But...I'm thinking, "What about the other children? And their academic skills?"

 

Three solid months without school is just too long of a gap. I think the children would need less review if the summer break was shorter. And maybe the need for "summer school" would be drastically reduced if the summer break was only 6-8 weeks long -- at the most -- to begin with.

[joannqn]

For my own selfish benefit, longer hours (and year-round school) would be great for us, since it would greatly extend our ability to have parks, pools, zoos, libraries and other field trips to ourselves without the crowds!

 

Funny!

 

Overall, I'd be against it. If my kids were in public school (which I considered when my oldest was kindy age), I'd want to be able to see them some time. As it is, I don't understand how parents can stand their kids being so dang busy.

 

As a homeschooler, I still don't like it because my kids miss playing with their public school friends that we pretty much don't see for 9 months. Between school getting out at 3:30pm and it getting dark at 4:30pm during the winter months, there isn't much time to play. The half hour or so of daylight they have available once they get home is usually spent doing homework. Our wet weather rules out most weekends. The winter holidays are usually too wet/cold/busy to see them out....so we literally never see the neighborhood kids during the school year.

[Moni]

Do you think public school days should be longer?

 

I don't know.

How long are they now? :confused:

What are they doing with the time available?

 

I have no idea what's going on in the local or any other PS

 

:seeya:

[FO4UR]

My dds were watching Fetch with Ruff Ruffman (spelling ?) and one of the challenges was for one boy on the show to meet with Senator Kennedy. The Senator gave him an assignment to gather opinions from children and teachers as to whether they thought the school day should be longer. He also met with Margaret Spellings, the Secretary of Education, who (no surprise) felt that the school day should be longer. I think this is in the works and was wondering what others thought of that idea. The show ended with the idea that everyone (the Senator, the Secretary of Educ., parents and children) likes the idea of extending the school day.

 

I don't know enough about it but I'm initially leaning far away from liking this idea (maybe recent threads on education which have shocked me have something to do with this :D) but I am aware that some children would be okay with this idea as school is often their safe haven. I also know that in other countries the school days include Saturdays. I guess I think with the way schools are now I wouldn't want to see children there longer but I'm still weighing this out.

 

I haven't read any responses yet - forgive if I repeat.

 

In one word - NO!!!

 

In fact, I think the school day should be drastically shortened for k-3 grades. I think the curriculum should be cut down to covering the 3R's only. Leave the kids afternoons free for being kids.

 

 

Of course....I think schools should be there to provide *education* and not *child care.*

[joannqn]

I don't know.

How long are they now? :confused:

What are they doing with the time available?

 

I have no idea what's going on in the local or any other PS

 

:seeya:

 

The elementary school 2 blocks from my house begins at 9am and goes to 3:30pm.

 

Most of the elementary schools in our city are failing per federal standards. When this happens, parents can either transfer their student to one of the schools that aren't failing or request that the school pay for private tutoring. When my son was going to public school (special ed preschool), we got the letter notifying us that his school was a failing school and that we could transfer him, at the district's cost, to a non-failing school. Out of 37 elementary schools, there were only 2 that he could transfer to. What's worse...a passing grade was very low...something like 30 or 40% of students passing the test.

[eternalknot]

A longer school day would likely end up raising my taxes, so I vote no.

[Desert Rat]

I saw this episode! I was shocked! Keep in mind, the kids wanted longer days so they could have art and music time (math was also noted). Parents may want longer days so they wouldn't have to worry about before/after care. It sounds like the kids are willing to take longer days so they can learn things they're missing out on. I don't think longer is better. The educational system needs an entire overhaul first.

[jujsky]

I can see how this might get a lot of support and might easily happen. All the parents who work and have to pay for after school care might really go for this. I feel like if the schools can't do it in the time they have, adding hours isn't going to fix the problem. The kids (and teachers) will just be more tired and frustrated and the end of the day will be mostly daycare anyhow.

 

:iagree: They're not going to fix the education problem by longer school days.

[jenadina]

Nope.

 

Where I live, most public schools are 1/2 day, all the way through high school. My nephew goes to a public high school here, and looking at what they are doing in school, I'd say that they are more advanced than any of the 5 high schools I went to in the US. Time does not necessarily equate to quality.

[Tree House Academy]

When my son was in 3rd grade in ps, he would often get to school by 7:30Am and not come home until 7:30pm. He participated in an afterschool program which lasted until 5pm. It was fun stuff and homework help time. I didn't work but he enjoyed going and it was free - two days a week. Then, on those same two days a week, he had basketball practice for an hour and a half. It was EXHASUTING. I noticed a change in his behavior and attitude almost immediately. We had to stop the after school program because it was just such a drain on a young child.

 

Many kids ride a bus home and do not get home until 4:30 or so. If they extended the school day until, say, 4 or 5pm, then when would those kids do homework? How would they have a life outside of school at all? The school would have to feel them dinner too!

 

However, I just thank God that it doesn't affect me one way or the other! LOL

[fivetails]

A longer typical day, NO. But I also do not think the kids need to get out at 11:30 am every Thursday either .

 

There too eh? It's Fridays up here, but same idea. Is that an Alberta-wide thing? :001_huh: I was all puzzled when I first realized they do it here - the only time there were any half days for ps kids on the island were when a storm blew in early and they sent the kids home at noon.

[MomLovesClassics]

School days are plenty long enough already. Making the days longer will not improve anything.

[Dirtroad]

No, they waste enough of most kid's time anyway. They need a few hours a day to hopefully run, jump, play... do chores... see their parents.

 

They ought to cut the day back & get down to teaching essentials better! ;)

[Dirtroad]

That means no speech or occupational therapy for 3 months (we can't afford to go private over the summer -- not at $75 a session per therapy).

 

But...I'm thinking, "What about the other children? And their academic skills?"

 

 

 

I completely disagree. Kids are not allowed to be kids anymore. They don't get to have summer breaks of any significant length. I hear all the arguements about forgetting what they learn... nonsense! They didn't learn it if they forget that quickly.

 

They need to be visiting family... going swimming.... (older) working a job... on & on. Families need to be together more.. not kids in school systems more.:)

 

I am sorry that you need speech therapy services provided by a school system. But most kids don't & all kids NEED desperately to be outside & be KIDS. Perhaps an alternative could be offered... but not putting everyone in school for longer times.

 

We work very hard here to insure a REAL SUMMER break... not just a few weeks. It is so valuable!;)

[gingersmom]

When my daughter was in middle school (public school) she left to catch the bus at 7am and school ended at 2:30. She stayed till 3:30 to catch up with teachers, etc.

 

I just can't imagine her day being any longer.

[Audrey]

Public schools are hardly more than day care institutions. *sarcasm alert!* Of course the day needs to be longer. Most parents don't get off work until at least 5pm, so an 8-6 school day would suit them best. And, probably they should get rid of that summer break, too. Who wants to spend 10-12 whole weeks with your own kids under your feet all the time?

[JudyJudyJudy]

As a former public school teacher, I know that kids' brains just shut down after a certain number of hours, so I would not be in favor of more academics.

 

On the other hand, I worked at a low income school where voluntary after school classes were offered in cooking, nature studies, jewelry making, sports, dance...and anything else we could find college kids to teach.

 

That was a fantastic program. I've also started after school programs at low income apartment buildings. Otherwise the kids would have been unsupervised for hours.

 

I am not in favor of anything that mandates kids spend less time with their families, but enrichment programs for the children of working families are great.

I'm also a former public school teacher, and I agree with this post.

[HSmomNY]

IMHO

One size fits few. There are some families that would benifit from a longer school day and a longer school year. They should have that choice. They should be able to choose a school that has a longer day and year.

BUT other families would benifit from a shorter day and a shorter or at least more flexable school year. They should also be able to chose a school like that.

If we let the public school dollars follow the children to what ever school the parent chose, you could have a wide range of school calenders for families to choose from.

[amy g.]

IMHO

One size fits few. There are some families that would benifit from a longer school day and a longer school year. They should have that choice. They should be able to choose a school that has a longer day and year.

BUT other families would benifit from a shorter day and a shorter or at least more flexable school year. They should also be able to chose a school like that.

If we let the public school dollars follow the children to what ever school the parent chose, you could have a wide range of school calenders for families to choose from.

 

That is a perfect solution.

[johnandtinagilbert]

It's my understanding that other nations, who are ahead of us in the numbers, have longer days and more stringent requirements (more languages, more math, more PE). Classes are rushed and electives are nearly non-existent. In theory, yes, I think it would be better, but that leads us back to How Can We Pay? We're already broke as the day is long!

[Plucky]

That is a perfect solution.

 

That wouldn't work in my area. The teacher's union along with the administration sets the spring breaks, vacations, half days, etc. Its a big issue and the union really flexs its muscles.

 

It sounds good though.

[HSmomNY]

Let the money go to non-union nonpublic schools if that is were the families choose to sent their children. Parents could even use the money to choose on-line schools ( K-12 and the like) increasing the range of choices for rural areas and increasing compition

[FO4UR]

IMHO

One size fits few. There are some families that would benifit from a longer school day and a longer school year. They should have that choice. They should be able to choose a school that has a longer day and year.

BUT other families would benifit from a shorter day and a shorter or at least more flexable school year. They should also be able to chose a school like that.

If we let the public school dollars follow the children to what ever school the parent chose, you could have a wide range of school calenders for families to choose from.

 

I agree!

 

That wouldn't work in my area. The teacher's union along with the administration sets the spring breaks, vacations, half days, etc. Its a big issue and the union really flexs its muscles.

 

It sounds good though.

 

...and I think this is the core of the issue....and why we won't see real change in the ps system without some growing pains.

 

Parents will go along with it b/c they want the free childcare.

[Harriet Vane]

Absolutely NOT.

 

They need to reduce the school's jobs back to readin', writin', and 'rithmatic. The core subjects can be covered with excellence in a shorter school day, and parents should worry about raising their children the rest of the time themselves.

[Melinda in VT]

I completely disagree. Kids are not allowed to be kids anymore. They don't get to have summer breaks of any significant length. I hear all the arguements about forgetting what they learn... nonsense! They didn't learn it if they forget that quickly.

 

They need to be visiting family... going swimming.... (older) working a job... on & on. Families need to be together more.. not kids in school systems more.:)

 

I am sorry that you need speech therapy services provided by a school system. But most kids don't & all kids NEED desperately to be outside & be KIDS. Perhaps an alternative could be offered... but not putting everyone in school for longer times.

 

We work very hard here to insure a REAL SUMMER break... not just a few weeks. It is so valuable!;)

 

Well, I agree and disagree. :lol:

 

My kids have about two months off for summer. That seems about right to me. It's long enough to feel like a real break, but not so long that going back to school is a huge shock.

 

They also get two days off in October, three days off for Thanksgiving (not counting weekends), 1-1.5 weeks at Christmas, 1.5 weeks in Feb/Mar, and a week in April. Plus a handful of snow days a year. I like that they get lots of breaks during the year.

[MomLovesClassics]

I forget where I read this, but the president advocates year round schools with longer days. He says families no longer needs kids at home during the summer to work on the farm.

Kids need to spend more time with their families. Some families send their kids to day care when they are a few weeks old, then to school, after school, summer school, etc. When are these children home? When is family time? Like everyone else says when would a kid have time to be a kid? When would a kid have the time to know the joys of summer? Some school systems are year round already.

[MomLovesClassics]

I forgot to mention the long bus ride in the am and pm think of how long kids would be away from home.

[Elizabeth Conley]

I would only be in favor of extended school days IF (1) it was optional (i.e. parents who actually wanted to spend time with their kids could opt out) and (2) kids had a choice of using the extra time for either help with homework or additional nonacademic activities like art, music, sports, etc. But I fear that if extended days become the norm, teachers and administrators will just fill it with mindless busywork or use it for standardized test prep or some other nonsense.

 

Jackie

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[Audrey]

Some families send their kids to day care when they are a few weeks old, then to school, after school, summer school, etc. When are these children home? When is family time? Like everyone else says when would a kid have time to be a kid? When would a kid have the time to know the joys of summer? Some school systems are year round already.

 

 

I know this is true, because I see it happening around me, but I honestly cannot wrap my brain around WHY someone would farm out their kid for just about all it's waking hours like that.

[Lovedtodeath]

My own thoughts later...

I would only be in favor of extended school days IF (1) it was optional (i.e. parents who actually wanted to spend time with their kids could opt out) and (2) kids had a choice of using the extra time for either help with homework or additional nonacademic activities like art, music, sports, etc. But I fear that if extended days become the norm, teachers and administrators will just fill it with mindless busywork or use it for standardized test prep or some other nonsense.

 

Jackie

:iagree:

 

I haven't read any responses yet - forgive if I repeat.

 

In one word - NO!!!

 

In fact, I think the school day should be drastically shortened for k-3 grades. I think the curriculum should be cut down to covering the 3R's only. Leave the kids afternoons free for being kids.

 

 

Of course....I think schools should be there to provide *education* and not *child care.*

:iagree:one of my main reasons for homeschooling is that my baby would be gone from home too long each day and when I was in school I thought it was a big time waster. I was a love to learn, visual introvert though. ;)

[lynn]

We were on year round school in Tucson and the way it worked was 3 months on 1 month off. So my son was off October, Feburary and June with the regular holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas off. It' actually worked out pretty good. I may be wrong and please correct me if I am but I think we are the only country who does not school year round. I peronsally think it would be a great idea.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I forgot to mention the long bus ride in the am and pm think of how long kids would be away from home.

 

This is DEFINITELY a concern. The elementary bus comes right at 6am. It returns at 4:45. So lengthening the school day puts kids home REALLY late (imo, they already get home pretty late!).

 

I know this is true, because I see it happening around me, but I honestly cannot wrap my brain around WHY someone would farm out their kid for just about all it's waking hours like that.

 

They feel they have little/no choice. For some, I'm sure it is true.

 

For many? I know it's not. My hubby made like $4.85 per hour when my daughter was a baby. When my son was a baby, it was up to $6/hour. We lived in a cruddy apt in a bad area, but my kids had their mother home. After that, we found a little trailer in a small town. We had a great life though at some point at that time we were down to a minimal amount (like $600/mo) of unemployment. But we made it and life went on.

 

I really don't understand having kids in daycare 8-12 hours per day (or daycare then school then back to daycare for that time) when there is a choice. Sure, the cars are a little nicer than ours. Some people have nicer or bigger houses than ours. But at what price? Their children get no childhood, little relationship with their parents, etc? It's sad.

Edited August 16, 2009 by 2J5M9K

[FO4UR]

We were on year round school in Tucson and the way it worked was 3 months on 1 month off. So my son was off October, Feburary and June with the regular holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas off. It' actually worked out pretty good. I may be wrong and please correct me if I am but I think we are the only country who does not school year round. I peronsally think it would be a great idea.

 

I would prefer that schedule to a traditional schedule too.

 

 

 

This is DEFINITELY a concern. The elementary bus comes right at 6am. It returns at 4:45. So lengthening the school day puts kids home REALLY late (imo, they already get home pretty late!).

 

That's 10 hrs and 45min......did I do the math right?!?! CRAZY!!!!

[Rosie_0801]

They need to reduce the school's jobs back to readin', writin', and 'rithmatic. The core subjects can be covered with excellence in a shorter school day, and parents should worry about raising their children the rest of the time themselves.

 

Well, to be able to afford that, housing prices would need to drop so parents could afford to be home during daylight hours, occasionally...

 

I'm curious as to how many hours a day the teachers are going to work. If they are on campus all day, when do they do their prep? If they don't get prep done, the school day will be a complete waste of time. If the teachers don't have enough time to teach and get their prep and admin tasks done, they don't have time to see their own family. If they don't have time for their own family, their blood pressure goes up and they wonder why they are working so hard for other people's kids and neglecting their own. Then they quit teaching.

 

Rosie

[teamturner]

As a former public school teacher, I know that kids' brains just shut down after a certain number of hours, so I would not be in favor of more academics.

 

On the other hand, I worked at a low income school where voluntary after school classes were offered in cooking, nature studies, jewelry making, sports, dance...and anything else we could find college kids to teach.

 

That was a fantastic program. I've also started after school programs at low income apartment buildings. Otherwise the kids would have been unsupervised for hours.

 

I am not in favor of anything that mandates kids spend less time with their families, but enrichment programs for the children of working families are great.

 

:iagree: This is what I was thinking would be great!! Make it optional for homework help or enrichment activities.

[kalanamak]

As a former public school teacher, I know that kids' brains just shut down after a certain number of hours, so I would not be in favor of more academics.

 

 

 

How do they manage in other countries? I read an article recently in the Economist about the hours adult USians work vs. European workers and school kid's hours in various countries. The USian kids had more time off, with less expected of them, than anyone else in the developed world.

 

At work I certainly see parents doing overtime and having second jobs, and over hearing the endless calls home to the teens "Have you emptied the dishwasher yet? I'll have take away X, Y and Z if you haven't done that one little thing. We spent A, B, and C on that purebreed dog you wanted, and I need you to empty the dishwasher."

 

Oh, how I want to be spared that!

[Veritaserum]

Good grief, no.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

There is a trend toward aligning the school day with the work day. Many parents are in favor of this because then they wouldn't have to worry about afterschool care.

 

I think that this is also behind much of the push for universal preschool.

 

However, since you can't be in two places at once, increased classroom/school time would always come at the cost of free play and unsupervised time. Want to sit in your room and read a book? Too bad.

Want to roam around looking for bugs? Too bad. Want to swing on the swings for an hour? Too bad.

 

We are wringing the joy of discovery right out of kids' lives.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

But our kids are not in the majority. This is not a time when most parents are home to cook with their kids, go over homework, "afterschool" to some degree, give them a rich educational environment, etc. Too many kids are going home to empty homes or watching siblings. They are spending HOURS watching tv and playing video games. They often don't get homework done and it's rarely checked. There aren't library trips before supper, a family meal, games, and discussion.

 

Though I don't like it, maybe it would be better for them to have an opportunity to work with knowledgable people on homework. Maybe group discussions, book/language/chess/math clubs, etc would be good for them. Many schools have these to some degree but they often are optional or cost. Longer school days would allow them to be included for most children instead of just some. They would also likely offer snacks. If healthy, that would be another plus.

 

 

I agree with your sentiment about many kids not having rich home environments. But I've also seen many church and community groups rise up to fill this need. That was much of the original purpose behind Boy Scouts in 1910. It is why several of the churches I've been involved with offered homework help after school. When the government gets into providing services, they not only squeeze out the private groups who are offering it, but it mentally becomes the role/duty of the government and private groups stop thinking of it as something that they should be doing at all.

[AmeliaJade]

Well, to be able to afford that, housing prices would need to drop so parents could afford to be home during daylight hours, occasionally...

 

I'm curious as to how many hours a day the teachers are going to work. If they are on campus all day, when do they do their prep? If they don't get prep done, the school day will be a complete waste of time. If the teachers don't have enough time to teach and get their prep and admin tasks done, they don't have time to see their own family. If they don't have time for their own family, their blood pressure goes up and they wonder why they are working so hard for other people's kids and neglecting their own. Then they quit teaching.

 

Rosie

 

That was kind of what happend to me. We lived overseas so I was taking correspondance courses to complete my teaching degree. In the meantime I had two kids and started working as a substitute teacher. I spent all day in the school while my two boys were in daycare. One day I was working in a first grade classroom and was frustrated with the day's lessons which consisted mostly of having the kids watch episodes of Clifford the Big Red Dog. I was missing my boys and kept thinking "Why am I here in a classroom full of kids watching cartoons when I could be at home watching cartoons with my own kids." That coupled with the fact that I was very disappointed with the things going on in the school system led to me quitting my job, dropping my degree and choosing to homeschool.

 

You bring up a good point though. What about the teacher's? What are there thoughts on longer school days?