All-day school schedules

Sarah Hall53 said:Jason Morgan, she’s basically saying that when people pick an education major, they’re actually going into college with the intention of teaching—not that they end up stuck in a classroom because they couldn't land anything better, like someone else was arguing earlier.

Forgive me, but I think I’m developing a sort of PTSD from dealing with these self-proclaimed geniuses who assume anyone entering the field of education is simply settling for mediocrity.

It’s almost as if everyone should just homeschool their children and then act completely shocked when those kids can't pass our standardized state tests.

mellowskipper said:I mean, if they pack everything in before 2:00 PM—lunch included—who could really complain?
As far as I'm concerned, it’s perfectly fine. Honestly, even if I had to pay extra for that lunch, I suppose I wouldn't mind one bit.

With the current curriculum—covering two languages, some essential subjects, and computer science for 7th and 8th graders—you simply can't pack all that into a day that ends at 2:00 PM, especially once you account for lunch and recess.
They're barely getting out by 2:40 PM as it is.

Honestly, it's just n o t p o s s i b l e. Right now they have 27 hours of class. Add 2 more (Math and Language Arts which they're introducing), plus another 5 hours of electives that are becoming mandatory for some kids.

So, we're looking at 34 hours of required instruction per week. That breaks down to four 7-hour days and one 6-hour day, and that's without even touching the advanced enrichment programs.
Basically, students in 7th and 8th grade won't even be leaving the building until 2:00 PM if we don't include those proposed recess breaks. Once you factor in lunch and playtime, they'll be finishing up around 2:40 PM.
And then there's the advanced program, which is also mandatory at 6 hours a week. So, every single day, they'd be staying past 2:40 PM.

I might be off base here, but this reform seems to be adding more mandatory hours, turning electives into requirements, and adding more breaks...
Everything Fox is talking about sounds like a joke to me.
In the end, we'll probably find that the very parents crying out for after-school care until 5:00 PM—because they work or because a seven-year-old shouldn't be home alone—will only have school until 2:00 PM. People will end up paying for babysitters, while the eighth graders will basically be living at the school until 5:00 PM.

I honestly don't get why they don't just turn the existing after-school programs into free options for those who actually need them. Instead, all that massive money people took out loans for isn't being spent on anything truly useful.

And honestly, who actually knows what the final result will look like—or even what those people are truly planning behind closed doors? I guess it’s all just guesswork at this point. Maybe they’ll decide to cut certain things and hike up others, or perhaps they’ll start categorizing items into specific groups just so they can manage them on different schedules... or maybe they'll even decide to shorten the school day to forty minutes... who knows what kind of "brilliant" schemes that crowd might cook up...

I am under the distinct impression that the folks over at the Department of Education fail to grasp just how massive the chasm is between classroom-based instruction and subject-specific teaching when it comes to age, autonomy, and overall child development
It is simply unrealistic to expect them to be tossed into the exact same curriculum and treated as if they belong in the same bucket.

mellowskipper said:And honestly, who actually knows what the final result will look like—or even what those people are truly planning behind closed doors? I guess it’s all just guesswork at this point. Maybe they’ll decide to cut certain things and hike up others, or perhaps they’ll start categorizing items into specific groups just so they can manage them on different schedules... or maybe they'll even decide to shorten the school day to forty minutes... who knows what kind of "brilliant" schemes that crowd might cook up...

If they were planning to shorten class periods, they would have put that in the original proposal or these latest amendments.
And everything else they intend to increase or decrease is already documented.

The only thing they’re being vague about is how much time the kids will actually spend in the classroom. Basically, the only real metric is the elementary school schedule.
As for anything else, they couldn't care less.
Fox doesn't have school-aged kids, Jason Morgan probably has some in private school (unless they're still in preschool🤔), and everyone else is staying quiet because they don't want to rock the boat.

They’re just selling smoke to the parents.
And the media—when they do decide to cover it—just parrot the same supposed benefits over and over again... for the benefit of certain people out there.

Kids need a sense of independence... starting from fifth grade. It wouldn't hurt even before then, either.
We have plenty of great extracurricular activities available, so I don't see why they're making mountains out of molehills where it isn't needed. Meanwhile, where it actually matters, things are going to stay a mess.
What kind of "experimental program" is this anyway? They're trying to compare apples to oranges. Where are the control groups? Nowhere. What outcomes are they measuring, and what are they even comparing them against?

jadetinker85 said:If they want to bury Americans and math teachers under this kind of workload, they should go ahead and cut the number of exams, assignments, readings, essays, presentations, and projects that need reviewing.
How can Americans and math teachers be expected to carry the same or more hours than subjects where you don't even have to grade written work?

Don't sweat it. They can't afford to pay us nearly as little as we're capable of working.🤣

So much for getting anything out of Apple. The CEO was on ABC saying the teachers shot it down and they aren't moving forward with it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/danas.h...e3%3famp=1

Here’s last night’s broadcast.

The pressure they're putting on schools is just unreal—people are telling me that these politically appointed principals are basically having backroom deals with the founders, then showing up at the school gates to announce they’re signing everyone up for this "experiment."
In the smaller districts, it’s even worse; they’re practically bullying people, claiming that if they don't sign on, the whole school will be shuttered in a couple of years. They're making it sound like this is the only way anyone can even keep their job for the next four years.

Sarah Hall53 said:The pressure they're putting on schools is just unreal—people are telling me that these politically appointed principals are basically having backroom deals with the founders, then showing up at the school gates to announce they’re signing everyone up for this "experiment."
In the smaller districts, it’s even worse; they’re practically bullying people, claiming that if they don't sign on, the whole school will be shuttered in a couple of years. They're making it sound like this is the only way anyone can even keep their job for the next four years.

Oh, absolutely. That is exactly the playbook being used in my district.
It’s quite easy to spot who is being driven by political agendas here; frankly, any rational person with even a shred of common sense wouldn't be swayed by such transparent tactics.

Sarah Hall53 said:The pressure they're putting on schools is just unreal—people are telling me that these politically appointed principals are basically having backroom deals with the founders, then showing up at the school gates to announce they’re signing everyone up for this "experiment."
In the smaller districts, it’s even worse; they’re practically bullying people, claiming that if they don't sign on, the whole school will be shuttered in a couple of years. They're making it sound like this is the only way anyone can even keep their job for the next four years.

Honestly, I think we’d see similar chaos in Washington, D.C. if the old administration were still in charge. If the Bandits or Lovric were part of the founding group (along with their players in the local government 😲), half the participants would likely be coming out of D.C., regardless of whether the schools are actually equipped for it or can handle single-shift schedules. I suspect there are still some of their hand-picked principals out there, maybe even a few members of the local political circles among teachers or parents, but I feel pretty confident when it comes to the actual founders.

At first, I heard that it might actually benefit D.C. to have at least some schools participate to help ease the burden of paying for after-school care and meal programs, especially since the city is really struggling with debt right now. Plus, many schools didn't get approval for extra staffing for after-school care as early as second grade this year, leading to merged classes (especially in third grade). Now that pandemic restrictions are gone and they're allowed to mix things up again...

Jason Morgan said:Oh, absolutely. That is exactly the playbook being used in my district.
It’s quite easy to spot who is being driven by political agendas here; frankly, any rational person with even a shred of common sense wouldn't be swayed by such transparent tactics.

No rational person thinks this is a good, desirable, or acceptable idea.
The rest of them are just members of the Republican Party.

The reports remain underwhelming... most directors aren't willing to go against the collective, though there is still some semblance of reason left in this pathetic little country...

May 2nd was that meeting where the New York City principals sat down with the Department of Education and the founders to talk shop.

They've definitely been reading Monster. 😁

Ugh, honestly, ABC News is driving me absolutely insane right now 😂
. I mean, do these journalists actually know anything at all? Where is that female reporter from PBS who usually covers education? Has she ever even interviewed this idiot? And why does he keep obsessing over elementary school when this applies to every single grade level?!

People here in Oscar tell me they’re planning to pull their kids out of Augustus Shaw Elementary School, basically thumbing their noses at the PTA decision. Now they’re stuck playing catch-up with the local private school competition, all while leaving their own classrooms empty during the core subjects.

rowdypanther12 said:Ugh, honestly, ABC News is driving me absolutely insane right now 😂
. I mean, do these journalists actually know anything at all? Where is that female reporter from PBS who usually covers education? Has she ever even interviewed this idiot? And why does he keep obsessing over elementary school when this applies to every single grade level?!

I suppose it’s just because that old fossil keeps lying through his teeth just to keep the public distracted.
He—and I really want to emphasize *him* here—claims that their primary focus was always on the kids.🙂
No, you idiot, you never cared about the children; you only ever cared about sucking up to your political donors.🤮
And then there's this part where he suggests teachers will be working an extra eighteen minutes a day.🙂🙂
It's honestly just ridiculous. I don't think I could even look myself in the mirror if I were in his shoes.
She should probably just go back to being a veterinarian, because she clearly doesn't have a clue about anything else.
🤮

Larry Walker24 said:May 2nd was that meeting where the New York City principals sat down with the Department of Education and the founders to talk shop.

Just a reminder about this.

jadetinker85 said:People here in Oscar tell me they’re planning to pull their kids out of Augustus Shaw Elementary School, basically thumbing their noses at the PTA decision. Now they’re stuck playing catch-up with the local private school competition, all while leaving their own classrooms empty during the core subjects.

It is high time the Secretary of Education actually did something meaningful to win parents back—maybe even give them a decent raise to make it worth their while? 🕺