All-day school schedules

Honestly, if I had my way, I’d pass a law requiring every single politician—and yeah, even their immediate and extended families—to get their healthcare and schooling through our public institutions here in the States. ☕ Maybe then they'd actually give a damn about making sure our public services actually work for everyone else.

Susan James said:So, I was watching this vet on TV, and they were saying that parents who are pushing back just don't seem to get the whole idea behind a full-time program.
The speaker explained it quite nicely: kids would basically be at school until about 2:00 PM, maybe 2:30 PM at the latest, and anything after that is totally optional.
Plus, once they wrap up their school day, there’s no more work to worry about—no more homework or studying at the kitchen table late at night.
They’ll get everything done while they're actually at school.

It feels like we might be overcomplicating this debate when the solution seems so straightforward.
On top of that, since students won't have access to AI to cheat or copy answers, they'll have to rely on what they actually know, which is why having them do all their assignments during school hours is such a great move.

I'm just trying to crunch the numbers here... if an average 6th grader currently has about 5 hours of classes a day—meaning they're finished by noon and then grab lunch—they could spend that window from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM finishing everything up. They can review what they didn't catch, finish their homework, and then be completely free after 2:30 PM with zero responsibilities at home.🙏
(Of course, math changes slightly because of the four extra elective hours per week plus two more for math and history, but those are just small details. Since they'll have a bit more time during that afternoon block, they can easily knock out the homework for five or six different subjects in an hour or ninety minutes.)

Honestly, though, I wouldn't want to be in a teacher's shoes. Imagine having angry parents showing up at 3:00 PM, giving you a hard time just because you worked those extra two hours—especially when their kid is actually crushing their exams! But hey, I suppose if the pay increases accordingly $833, it might make dealing with that stress a little easier.

The pay increase will be about $135, according to a Department official speaking on a local radio program.

Sarah Hall53 said:Honestly, if I had my way, I’d pass a law requiring every single politician—and yeah, even their immediate and extended families—to get their healthcare and schooling through our public institutions here in the States. ☕ Maybe then they'd actually give a damn about making sure our public services actually work for everyone else.

Instead of just turning everything into private clubs and luxury wellness retreats.

jadetinker85 said:The pay increase will be about $135, according to a Department official speaking on a local radio program.

Fuchs on the full school day schedule: Students will be stuck in class from 8 AM until 2 or 3 PM daily

as if they weren't already 🤦

Paul Davis2 said:An 8-to-3 schedule is pretty standard across the USA—literally everywhere. In places where the day seems shorter, they aren't actually doing continuous instruction; it includes lunch breaks and various group activities. It’s not a solid block from 8 to 3; it’s a series of breaks, meals, and social periods.
Trying to run non-stop instruction from 8 to 3 just isn't realistic.

Exactly. My kid over in Canada is in school from 8:30 to 3. It isn't even an issue that she's there that long because the curriculum is built around projects rather than just sitting there listening to someone drone on—plus, they get two 15-minute snack breaks and an hour for lunch (they usually spend about 25 minutes eating and the rest of the time outside).

It honestly blows my mind that people are getting worked up about this reform based on how many hours they're in class, instead of actually looking at the changes to the curriculum and teaching methods we're supposed to be seeing in 2023 to keep up with a modern society. It's pretty terrifying that they're actually cutting back on computer science hours when the current program is already ancient. 🤦

Larry Walker24 said:Fuchs on the full school day schedule: Students will be stuck in class from 8 AM until 2 or 3 PM daily

as if they weren't already 🤦

Lies! Total lies! Absolute lies!

Quote:>

Wildflower says: That’s a great point. My daughter over in Canada is in school from 8:30 until 3:00. It isn't an issue at all that she's there for a long stretch because the curriculum is built around hands-on projects rather than just sitting around listening to lectures. They get two 15-minute snack breaks and an hour for lunch—they usually finish eating in about 25 minutes and spend the rest of the time playing outside. It honestly blows my mind that when people talk about this reform, their main gripe is how long the school day lasts. They aren't even focusing on the actual changes to the curriculum or the teaching methods that we should be expecting in a modern society by 2023. It’s actually pretty scary to see them cutting back on computer science hours, especially since the current program is already so outdated. 🤦

In the US, seventh and eighth graders often take a bunch of electives—like religion, tech, or foreign languages—and stay for extra sessions, sometimes until 2:00 or even 3:00 PM. Their classes start at 8:00, and most middle schools don't even provide lunch.
Now, all these electives might become mandatory, they'll have lunch provided (though nobody knows where!), and then seventh and eighth graders will still have to deal with history and math until 3:00 PM. It just doesn't seem right.

As for what kids do at school versus what they do at home, I can only say 🤣>
that currently, they work on projects at school but end up studying at home. Plus, the tests are designed to check if they memorized the textbook, rather than testing what they actually learned through those projects...

David Jackson2 said:Exactly. My kid over in Canada is in school from 8:30 to 3. It isn't even an issue that she's there that long because the curriculum is built around projects rather than just sitting there listening to someone drone on—plus, they get two 15-minute snack breaks and an hour for lunch (they usually spend about 25 minutes eating and the rest of the time outside).

It honestly blows my mind that people are getting worked up about this reform based on how many hours they're in class, instead of actually looking at the changes to the curriculum and teaching methods we're supposed to be seeing in 2023 to keep up with a modern society. It's pretty terrifying that they're actually cutting back on computer science hours when the current program is already ancient. 🤦

Just pure curiosity here—who’s looking after them during those breaks, especially that hour-long stretch? And who actually takes the blame if something goes sideways while they're out there?

David Jackson2 said:Exactly. My kid over in Canada is in school from 8:30 to 3. It isn't even an issue that she's there that long because the curriculum is built around projects rather than just sitting there listening to someone drone on—plus, they get two 15-minute snack breaks and an hour for lunch (they usually spend about 25 minutes eating and the rest of the time outside).

It honestly blows my mind that people are getting worked up about this reform based on how many hours they're in class, instead of actually looking at the changes to the curriculum and teaching methods we're supposed to be seeing in 2023 to keep up with a modern society. It's pretty terrifying that they're actually cutting back on computer science hours when the current program is already ancient. 🤦

I guess your kid's school in Canada is probably a total space shuttle compared to 99% of schools here in America. I’m just throwing out some guesses here, so tell me if I'm way off. The school probably has AC, a decent-sized cafeteria, lockers for every student that actually lock, a well-equipped gym with locker rooms that likely have showers, a library that functions as a study hall with computers for students to use. And, I bet the bathrooms always have soap and paper. How far off am I? 😁

Our schools just aren't designed or equipped for all-day programs. They're built for kids to show up, listen to a lecture, and go home. People are complaining because trying to introduce something without having the basic infrastructure in place is just... maybe a bit nonsensical.

What they’re trying to pull here... it’s honestly like if a local walk-in clinic suddenly declared itself a major metropolitan hospital overnight and just expected everything to work—you know, expecting full surgical wards, specialized departments, and actual patients in beds to just magically appear.

Fox clearly hasn't spent a single second actually learning anything about tech; the guy probably only uses his computer to browse adult sites, and honestly, he just wants to make sure his future students turn out just as clueless as he is.

Seriously, I have no clue how people come up with such half-baked, ridiculous ideas.

So, while the people who actually dreamed this up are sleeping soundly
(righteous ones, I guess?) the rest of us...

Sarah Hall53 said:Just pure curiosity here—who’s looking after them during those breaks, especially that hour-long stretch? And who actually takes the blame if something goes sideways while they're out there?

Their homeroom teachers handle things during breaks (back in the classrooms), and then for lunch and after-school programs, you've got the duty teachers supervising outside. We used to have parent volunteers jump in too, but since COVID hit, that hasn't really come back—at least not at our local elementary school—though I hear some schools in other parts of the country still do it.

Keep in mind, some of the older kids—like the 5th and 6th graders—actually head out to "help" the little ones during lunch. They eat their packed lunches in their own classrooms since their lunch period is at a different time. There's a huge emphasis here on volunteering and teaching these kids to help out from a very young age. But yeah, there's always a teacher around.

Adam Diaz67 said:I guess your kid's school in Canada is probably a total space shuttle compared to 99% of schools here in America. I’m just throwing out some guesses here, so tell me if I'm way off. The school probably has AC, a decent-sized cafeteria, lockers for every student that actually lock, a well-equipped gym with locker rooms that likely have showers, a library that functions as a study hall with computers for students to use. And, I bet the bathrooms always have soap and paper. How far off am I? 😁

Our schools just aren't designed or equipped for all-day programs. They're built for kids to show up, listen to a lecture, and go home. People are complaining because trying to introduce something without having the basic infrastructure in place is just... maybe a bit nonsensical.

Actually, not even close. This school is in worse shape than my old elementary school back in San Francisco—and we live in a decent neighborhood, so I can only imagine the disaster zones elsewhere. Teachers end up paying out of their own pockets just to kit out their classrooms (last year, our school had to run a fundraiser just to buy a rug for the kids to sit on this year 😬). There’s no AC, so when summer hits, it’s absolutely brutal, and classes run straight through the end of June. No cafeteria either; kids just bring lunch from home and eat right at their desks. They don't even have lockers—that's apparently reserved for high schoolers
.
There’s this pathetic little nutrition program where kids get one snack a day—think an apple or a granola bar—and parents basically volunteer their money to help cover the cost for families who are struggling. There is a gym, sure, but it has no showers and the equipment looks like it hasn't been touched since the 80s 😬. The library is actually okay, though. We don't send toilet paper or soap to the school, but teachers will ask if they need supplies for art class; we were actually the ones on deck last week to send in paper towels and homemade playdough for an art project. Also, textbooks aren't really a thing here, by the way. If the school needs something, they organize a fundraiser—selling T-shirts with the school logo and stuff like that. A huge chunk of how things function just depends on the local community
.

There’s zero chance that’s actually happening by 2027.
If they were serious, they’d be breaking ground on a mountain of new schools in major cities like Chicago or Houston right about now.

Michelle Nelson4 said:I’m just looking over the schedule in the planner again to be absolutely certain, so let me double-check my math here:
5th grade—that’s 5 sessions of 5 hours each per week.
7th grade—it’s 2 sessions of 6 hours and 3 sessions of 5 hours weekly.
That is the mandatory requirement. Period. It isn’t some marathon where they're stuck in class for 7 or 8 hours "every single day."

Honestly, when I come across claims like that, it really makes me wonder how much truth there actually is behind the other "facts" being tossed around by these same forum users...

Well, look at your situation: you've only got the core required subjects. There isn't a single elective, no extra tutoring, no remedial help, and zero participation in clubs or after-school activities.

It feels like every kid follows this pattern because, based on your child's specific schedule, that's basically the entire world they inhabit.

On top of that, you're being rude by insulting me and implying I'm making things up while questioning everyone else's honesty. Honestly, your claims are just as questionable as the one you just critiqued.

If a student is taking religion, a second language, and computer lab in 7th and 8th grade, that's only an extra six hours a week. Where are all these supposed extra sessions and study groups coming from?

Susan James said:So, I was watching this vet on TV, and they were saying that parents who are pushing back just don't seem to get the whole idea behind a full-time program.
The speaker explained it quite nicely: kids would basically be at school until about 2:00 PM, maybe 2:30 PM at the latest, and anything after that is totally optional.
Plus, once they wrap up their school day, there’s no more work to worry about—no more homework or studying at the kitchen table late at night.
They’ll get everything done while they're actually at school.

It feels like we might be overcomplicating this debate when the solution seems so straightforward.
On top of that, since students won't have access to AI to cheat or copy answers, they'll have to rely on what they actually know, which is why having them do all their assignments during school hours is such a great move.

I'm just trying to crunch the numbers here... if an average 6th grader currently has about 5 hours of classes a day—meaning they're finished by noon and then grab lunch—they could spend that window from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM finishing everything up. They can review what they didn't catch, finish their homework, and then be completely free after 2:30 PM with zero responsibilities at home.🙏
(Of course, math changes slightly because of the four extra elective hours per week plus two more for math and history, but those are just small details. Since they'll have a bit more time during that afternoon block, they can easily knock out the homework for five or six different subjects in an hour or ninety minutes.)

Honestly, though, I wouldn't want to be in a teacher's shoes. Imagine having angry parents showing up at 3:00 PM, giving you a hard time just because you worked those extra two hours—especially when their kid is actually crushing their exams! But hey, I suppose if the pay increases accordingly $833, it might make dealing with that stress a little easier.

Right... I remember hearing the exact same fairy tale when they tried to push after-school programs for the little kids in elementary, but let me tell you, I also know for a fact that a huge chunk of parents ended up hauling heavy backpacks home and sitting with their kids anyway to redo assignments and finish homework, because those programs cared more about checking a box than whether the kid actually understood the material, let alone mastered it.

And honestly, kids in middle school, especially if they're taking any electives or advanced classes, are already staying past 2:00 or 2:30 PM... so I have to wonder, do these geniuses spouting these ridiculous nonsense theories even have a clue how much time a kid actually spends in a classroom?

I don't know, man, but to me, this smells like the first step toward the privatization of the entire American education system....Because we all know what happens: whoever has the cash will pay for elite private schooling, while everyone else is stuck with a kid who's just mindlessly memorizing stuff in a public school, leaving the actual learning and heavy lifting to the parents at home.
The high-quality teachers and professors will (obviously) jump ship to wherever the bigger paychecks are, which just ramps up the pressure on parents to shell out for private tuition.

Long story short, kids lose their childhood, and parents get hit with the expectation of taking out massive student loans just to give their children a decent shot.

My brother told me he’s skipping the info session next year. He says those eight-hour marathons are a total waste of time. Nothing actually useful gets covered—it's just people shuffling through endless slide decks all day.

driftingranger2 said:My brother told me he’s skipping the info session next year. He says those eight-hour marathons are a total waste of time. Nothing actually useful gets covered—it's just people shuffling through endless slide decks all day.

I ended up pulling my kid out of his tech elective back in seventh grade. In sixth grade, they had this incredible teacher who really pushed them, but then they got a new instructor who didn't have the same spark.

By sixth grade, the class just wasn't challenging him at all. He felt exactly the same way you did—that they weren't gaining any actual skills, or they'd spend the entire period doing something he could have mastered in five minutes on his own. Even though he was easily getting an A 😉, we decided to support his choice to drop the class.