All-day school schedules

I’m not entirely convinced that’s how it’s going to shake out. If that's the case, PE stays exactly where it is, while Computer Science might actually see a reduction in hours—especially since it was already capped at two hours a week whether you were taking it as a required course or an elective.

The one silver lining, I suppose, is getting at least two hours of dedicated "Science" that isn't lumped in with Social Studies. I’ve mentioned this before, but it really needs to happen—instead of this disjointed mess where they jump from history to local geography to animal adaptations, all wrapped up in those cluttered curriculum guides from the Department of Education.

Michelle Nelson4 said:I’m not entirely convinced that’s how it’s going to shake out. If that's the case, PE stays exactly where it is, while Computer Science might actually see a reduction in hours—especially since it was already capped at two hours a week whether you were taking it as a required course or an elective.

The one silver lining, I suppose, is getting at least two hours of dedicated "Science" that isn't lumped in with Social Studies. I’ve mentioned this before, but it really needs to happen—instead of this disjointed mess where they jump from history to local geography to animal adaptations, all wrapped up in those cluttered curriculum guides from the Department of Education.

Yeah, I think it’s a great move that they finally decided to split them up.
It seems like the full-day schedule usually carries over into the subject-specific lessons too. I noticed something similar last semester when I was trying to balance my specialized coursework with the standard daily routine—it definitely makes for a long day! 😲
I noticed they’ve beefed up the math curriculum—I wonder if they actually hired a specialist just to oversee those changes? It looks like they also bumped up the HDP, which I assume is standard procedure for them.🥱)

Susan James said:Where on earth did this leak from? 😕 😲

So, religious studies is still stuck at two hours a week, yet they think one hour of digital literacy is enough 🙏
and they obviously just scrapped that whole critical thinking nonsense

those teacher groups on Facebook

Susan James said:Yeah, I think it’s a great move that they finally decided to split them up.
It seems like the full-day schedule usually carries over into the subject-specific lessons too. I noticed something similar last semester when I was trying to balance my specialized coursework with the standard daily routine—it definitely makes for a long day! 😲
I noticed they’ve beefed up the math curriculum—I wonder if they actually hired a specialist just to oversee those changes? It looks like they also bumped up the HDP, which I assume is standard procedure for them.🥱)

Times change. Eventually, we won't be around either, because let's face it: people aren't going to do this kind of work for peanuts forever.

Back in 2016, there were about 37,500 babies born here in the States who are just now starting elementary school.
By comparison, back in 2022, we saw 34,000 births—that’s a dip of 3,500 kids, which translates to roughly 175 fewer classrooms if you assume 20 students per class.
Meanwhile, the high school seniors graduating right now were born in 2004, a year when we had 40,300 births. That’s nearly 3,000 more kids than the group currently entering first grade (which makes up about 150 classrooms). It’s a pattern where we see about 150 to 175 fewer classrooms every single year. Of course, there have been some "good" years where the decline wasn't perfectly linear because a sudden drop was offset by a temporary spike, but the trend is there. We also have to factor in the massive impact of emigration on one side, while on the other, we aren't seeing many immigrants arriving with young children—mostly just single men moving here for work. Perhaps that will change eventually, which might increase the demand for language teachers, but for now...

The trends are pretty unmistakable. If you look at the decline in birth rates combined with the number of people leaving the country, and then weigh that against the number of new graduates entering the workforce versus those retiring, I don't think the situation for most social studies teachers is dire enough to justify a hike in hourly pay rates.

While the declining birth rate has been a critical issue for a long time, the government hasn't really stepped up with any particularly sensible solutions.

But then again, what are we actually supposed to do about the science teachers?

Look, I’m the first one in line to vote for giving them a raise compared to the rest of us—they’re practically an endangered species at this point. But—and it’s a big "but"—it isn't exactly a simple fix. Most of these science folks are total introverts; they have zero interest in dealing with people, let alone a room full of energetic kids.

Besides, the degree programs are brutal. Nobody goes through that kind of academic hell just to end up stuck in a classroom. It’s just the reality of the situation.

I mean, they should just introduce some sort of specialized education track—you know, with more intensive teaching credits—and call it a day. Honestly, there's already a whole crowd of people doing exactly that in schools across the country anyway.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how they've laid out the curriculum and the schedule for this term.

rowdypanther12 said:I'm really looking forward to seeing how they've laid out the curriculum and the schedule for this term.

The only thing keeping me sane is the thought that we might actually dodge this entirely—though, from what I gather talking to my colleagues at work, people are pretty split on the whole idea. Some think it’s a total win since everything happens right there at school, including lunch and all that. But then you have others who are just completely repulsed by the notion of kids being stuck in a classroom for the entire day.

mellowskipper said:I mean, they should just introduce some sort of specialized education track—you know, with more intensive teaching credits—and call it a day. Honestly, there's already a whole crowd of people doing exactly that in schools across the country anyway.

Yeah, that would probably solve it. But as for when that actually happens? You can ask God, because I certainly don't have an answer...

mellowskipper said:The only thing keeping me sane is the thought that we might actually dodge this entirely—though, from what I gather talking to my colleagues at work, people are pretty split on the whole idea. Some think it’s a total win since everything happens right there at school, including lunch and all that. But then you have others who are just completely repulsed by the notion of kids being stuck in a classroom for the entire day.

Honestly, I can't even wrap my head around how an eight-year-old would handle a schedule like that.
Especially for the kids already taking computer science, religion, or a second language—their school day is basically full already.
Are they really expected to stay at school until 6 PM?

And don't even get me started on high school.

I mean, sure, homework happens, but how are you supposed to actually study in a noisy classroom sitting in those hard, uncomfortable plastic chairs?
It’s not that I’m against progress, but this plan feels about as realistic as someone promising dragons will fly by and carry the kids to school on their backs.

shadowtiger0 said:But then again, what are we actually supposed to do about the science teachers?

Look, I’m the first one in line to vote for giving them a raise compared to the rest of us—they’re practically an endangered species at this point. But—and it’s a big "but"—it isn't exactly a simple fix. Most of these science folks are total introverts; they have zero interest in dealing with people, let alone a room full of energetic kids.

Besides, the degree programs are brutal. Nobody goes through that kind of academic hell just to end up stuck in a classroom. It’s just the reality of the situation.

Around here, they’ve already started "importing" staff from neighboring states.

Before implementing an all-day school schedule, the government really ought to ensure that every single child has access to a qualified, dedicated teacher for every subject—and I'm not just talking about the sciences. Otherwise, we're just turning our students into pawns in various political education games.

Scott Booth said:Around here, they’ve already started "importing" staff from neighboring states.

Before implementing an all-day school schedule, the government really ought to ensure that every single child has access to a qualified, dedicated teacher for every subject—and I'm not just talking about the sciences. Otherwise, we're just turning our students into pawns in various political education games.

That bolded part is just unrealistic.
I agree that’s how things *should* work, but I highly doubt it’s actually like that anywhere else in the world.
I mean, even in the private sector, you don't see that kind of consistency.

We have to take this one step at a time if we ever want to get anywhere.

Scott Booth said:Around here, they’ve already started "importing" staff from neighboring states.

Before implementing an all-day school schedule, the government really ought to ensure that every single child has access to a qualified, dedicated teacher for every subject—and I'm not just talking about the sciences. Otherwise, we're just turning our students into pawns in various political education games.

Wait, isn't it true that starting this year, we aren't recognizing degrees from Canada anymore?

https://6yka.com/bih/otkrivamo-zasto...azovanja-u-bih

rowdypanther12 said:Honestly, I can't even wrap my head around how an eight-year-old would handle a schedule like that.
Especially for the kids already taking computer science, religion, or a second language—their school day is basically full already.
Are they really expected to stay at school until 6 PM?

And don't even get me started on high school.

I mean, sure, homework happens, but how are you supposed to actually study in a noisy classroom sitting in those hard, uncomfortable plastic chairs?
It’s not that I’m against progress, but this plan feels about as realistic as someone promising dragons will fly by and carry the kids to school on their backs.

I guess they'll just buy them ergonomic office chairs then. 🤣

The idea of having childcare available while parents work isn't inherently bad, and it could help kids get everything done during school hours. But after third grade, it starts losing its purpose, and by fourth grade, it feels totally pointless. Especially for the kids who play sports, take music lessons, or just pick up concepts faster than others... there's no way schools, given the current space and staffing levels, can offer enough variety to keep kids busy until 3 PM or 6 PM while still letting them have a life outside of school.

Instead of pouring money into this nonsense, they should have used it to implement a meaningful, mandatory preschool program. That way, kids across the entire US would enter kindergarten with the same foundation and the skills needed to succeed from day one.
In the year before they start formal schooling, kids really need about 400-500 hours of prep. Right now, it's organized so haphazardly. For example, in places like New York City, kids might show up twice a week for two hours, barely eating lunch with other children. They do some worksheets, but those aren't standardized—they just depend on whether the teacher is feeling creative or helpful that day. Most educators claim this was forced on them and they aren't equipped for it. Instead of throwing money at a "full-day" project (just trying to copy models from Finland), they should have invested in a "pre-K grade" to ensure every kid gets a fair shot at the starting line.

I am all for innovation, but this is just useless. And it's not even new; we practically had this back in the '80s, just without grades and with different uniforms.
I actually like the idea of increasing teacher pay, but what does that matter if some kids will be bored out of their minds (and getting scolded for fidgeting), while others find the workload too heavy, especially in specialized subjects? Why keep them in school just for the sake of keeping them there, maybe hoping they'll eventually learn something? And all this just so we can match the hourly rates in Europe or wherever else?

Susan James said:I guess they'll just buy them ergonomic office chairs then. 🤣

The idea of having childcare available while parents work isn't inherently bad, and it could help kids get everything done during school hours. But after third grade, it starts losing its purpose, and by fourth grade, it feels totally pointless. Especially for the kids who play sports, take music lessons, or just pick up concepts faster than others... there's no way schools, given the current space and staffing levels, can offer enough variety to keep kids busy until 3 PM or 6 PM while still letting them have a life outside of school.

Instead of pouring money into this nonsense, they should have used it to implement a meaningful, mandatory preschool program. That way, kids across the entire US would enter kindergarten with the same foundation and the skills needed to succeed from day one.
In the year before they start formal schooling, kids really need about 400-500 hours of prep. Right now, it's organized so haphazardly. For example, in places like New York City, kids might show up twice a week for two hours, barely eating lunch with other children. They do some worksheets, but those aren't standardized—they just depend on whether the teacher is feeling creative or helpful that day. Most educators claim this was forced on them and they aren't equipped for it. Instead of throwing money at a "full-day" project (just trying to copy models from Finland), they should have invested in a "pre-K grade" to ensure every kid gets a fair shot at the starting line.

I am all for innovation, but this is just useless. And it's not even new; we practically had this back in the '80s, just without grades and with different uniforms.
I actually like the idea of increasing teacher pay, but what does that matter if some kids will be bored out of their minds (and getting scolded for fidgeting), while others find the workload too heavy, especially in specialized subjects? Why keep them in school just for the sake of keeping them there, maybe hoping they'll eventually learn something? And all this just so we can match the hourly rates in Europe or wherever else?

Changes to preschool are definitely coming.
As for this "all-day" thing, it doesn't even really exist yet. Nobody could sustain it—not the students and certainly not the teachers. We're talking about the concept of full-day schooling, which is a different beast entirely.

Reading through all these comments is giving me an immediate headache. Everything about the curriculum, the teaching methods, the subjects, and the entire school system is fundamentally broken. They keep inventing new classes and tweaking schedules, endlessly debating what should be added or cut, yet hardly any student graduates today truly independent or possessing the actual skill of *how* to learn. This idea of making critical thinking a standalone subject? It’s a joke. Every teacher—every intellectual in their respective field—should be designing their lessons to force students to think critically by default.
To me, this whole direction feels less like promoting diversity and equality and more like training a generation of drones. The end result will be traumatized, dull-witted kids who are obsessed with trivial nonsense but wouldn't last a single day if we had a major power outage or a water shortage. Not to mention anything else.
The "solution" they've proposed is to implement full-day schooling—it's like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

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shadowtiger0 said:Wait, isn't it true that starting this year, we aren't recognizing degrees from Canada anymore?

https://6yka.com/bih/otkrivamo-zasto...azovanja-u-bih

I haven't had a chance to dive deep into the article yet, but it feels like they might be reviewing each case on an individual basis. If that’s actually how it works, then this makes a lot more sense:
Like a firefighter's standard.

Dana Smith2 said:That bolded part is just unrealistic.
I agree that’s how things *should* work, but I highly doubt it’s actually like that anywhere else in the world.
I mean, even in the private sector, you don't see that kind of consistency.

We have to take this one step at a time if we ever want to get anywhere.

Let's break this down step by step: first, let's ensure kids actually have qualified teachers. I don't send my child to school just to be supervised; I send them there so they can exercise their constitutional right to an education. If the government is spending money on various reforms, it means the funds exist—so why not direct them where they actually matter?

I highly doubt that in Finland, children are being taught by unqualified people.

I really don't see the point in dragging the private sector into this conversation. We all fund the school system, from the Secretary of Education all the way down to that one underqualified teacher in the classroom.

Scott Booth said:Let's break this down step by step: first, let's ensure kids actually have qualified teachers. I don't send my child to school just to be supervised; I send them there so they can exercise their constitutional right to an education. If the government is spending money on various reforms, it means the funds exist—so why not direct them where they actually matter?

I highly doubt that in Finland, children are being taught by unqualified people.

I really don't see the point in dragging the private sector into this conversation. We all fund the school system, from the Secretary of Education all the way down to that one underqualified teacher in the classroom.

My daughter is in 8th grade now, and after five years of constant math teacher substitutions, she’s currently being taught by someone who isn't technically qualified. She claims this teacher is her favorite so far, though—she’s patient, doesn't yell, offers extra help, stays late, and even runs an elective in financial literacy. It feels like she’s trying twice as hard just because she’s labeled as "unqualified."
When I look through my daughter's notebook, I don't see anything different—or any less quality—than when she had those English or math teachers before.