[Speed Gibson,
Friday December 9, 2005 at 10:11pm]
It's Always Something
Five more weeks of (K-12) school? That's what some superintendents are proposing, as reported in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
In an age where everything moves ever faster, Big Education thinks we should go the other way. I think this is just another in a long list of excuses of Why Johnny Can't Read, or the sequel, Why Johnny Won't Graduate.
So this time, even though the schools performed just fine, and I'd say better with the existing calendar, now we aren't spending enough "time on task." They know there's a problem, don't know or won't admit what it is, but by golly, this ought to work. But tell me again about this Parkinson's Law thing, something about work expanding to fill the time available?
If it were up to me, public schools would be closed between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Summer is important in a child's development, too, especially in our climate.
Maybe not by the five weeks proposed Wednesday by a group of school superintendents and probably not in 2006. But, they said, global competition means Minnesota students may need more time in class.
The superintendents "may be right," said Sen. Steve Kelley, DFL-Hopkins. Students "may need more time on task" to graduate from high school. However, he said, the costs of a longer year need to be calculated.
In an age where everything moves ever faster, Big Education thinks we should go the other way. I think this is just another in a long list of excuses of Why Johnny Can't Read, or the sequel, Why Johnny Won't Graduate.
- We needed to pay teachers better. We've been doing that for decades; no effect on results.
- We needed better facilities like new buildings and technology and we bought them, Again, no effect.
- Maybe they're too hungry. Let's serve breakfast. No effect.
- Class sizes clearly are overloading teachers and underserving students. Only the exceptions are printed, but in general, the average students per teacher has fallen sharply, and again without measurable effect.
- There's no point giving out homework that they won't do anyway. So why do they seem to do more poorly on tests?
- Modular scheduling will optimize the student's day toward the more important subjects. But we couldn't agree what subjects those were.
- Peer negotiation, conflict resolution, and anger management are obviously superior, more adult ways of achieving order than old-fashioned discipline. But if you let the troublemakers stay in class, they disrupt those who want to learn.
- Teaching by rote is so primitive; more modern methods surely will work better. They didn't, and don't call me surely.
- Kids need more sleep; let's push back the starting time. No effect.
- Achievement testing and grading can damage self-esteem. Everyone in pre-Calculus gets an A, but half can't add a column of figures.
So this time, even though the schools performed just fine, and I'd say better with the existing calendar, now we aren't spending enough "time on task." They know there's a problem, don't know or won't admit what it is, but by golly, this ought to work. But tell me again about this Parkinson's Law thing, something about work expanding to fill the time available?
If it were up to me, public schools would be closed between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Summer is important in a child's development, too, especially in our climate.
I'm part of the Hopkins school district and I'm amazed at the time my elementary-age kids have off. Every month there's a "Late Start" day, where the school day starts 2 hours late. (I presume having the kids in school for 4 1/2 hours is just enough to count as a full day for state funding.) This Late Start Day is allegedly for the teachers to do...something, I'm not quite sure what.
Then comes MEA Week, where the school is closed all week. Okay teachers, how many of you are went to the MEA Convention? Anyone? Anyone?
But wait, the teachers use MEA week for parent-teacher conferences. The school sends home a form, asking you when a good day and time would be for a conference. One year I picked a Friday afternoon (heh heh) - I got a call the next day, asking if we could move the conference up a little, to say, Tuesday? The teacher 'fessed up that they were going up north to their cabin on Wednesday.
They've also squeezed in an extra day off before Thanksiving. Now here comes the "Winter Break", a full eleven weekdays off.
I'm tempted to call my old school district to see if they have any records of the school calendar from the early 1970's, just for comparison.