[CALIBK12] Our children need a quality education

Wed Feb 18 00:32:17 PST 2009

Having been at an elementary school that did longer days and only one recess in that extended day, I can say that this may not be the best option.  By the end of the day students were so tired that lessons, even hands-on activities, were seen as just too difficult.  It did not matter how fun the activity, the energy simply was not there.  When you are tired, you are less apt to be able to concentrate.  It happens to adults, too.

Speaking as a high school librarian who has been in the classroom, by the time sixth period rolls around, students are ready to stampede each other to get out the door.  You could have music, dance, or art sixth period, and it is the same.  Students get tired.  We do have voluntary seventh and eighth periods for specific diploma designations, but few students choose to do this.  That tiredness still exists for both students and staff.

As for homework, so few students actually do the assignments that it seems almost useless to assign it.  I know that sounds pessimistic, but it is the reality.  In elementary school, I could assign lunch detention where students had to finish the homework.  Yet, this punishes the teacher more than the students.  Teachers need their lunch time, too.

I am not saying that it is not a possible option, but it does have some drawbacks.  Frankly, I agree with the person a few weeks ago who facetiously suggested stopping all testing.  That would save a lot of paper, a lot of trees, and a lot of money.  Of course, we could go to online testing, too, which would save further paper.  Perhaps that is a viable option.  Right now, all of our budgets are frozen and photocopying must be approved by the administration unless one brings one's own paper.  I don't know about everyone else, but I'm the number one donator to the library in terms of both books and supplies, so budget cuts put a greater strain on my paycheck as I have to make up the shortfall.  I'm sure there are many librarians and teachers in the same boat.  I've done donorschoose.com, but without much luck so far.  Also, it looks like grant funding has begun to dry up.  This is a very frustrating issue.

Our district is considering a shorter work year, like you suggested.  Of course, that means the teachers' pay gets cut by those days, as well, but it may be worthwhile for the short term, but not perhaps for the long term.  I am not sure of the "perfect" solution, but there must be something other than say cutting personnel.  I am truly distressed at how many people are losing their jobs, and I may be one of them.  We have a parcel tax that pays for the librarians and libraries in the district, but with five (or more) of our schools closing, three or so teacher librarians may be laid off.  As the last in, I may be the first out.  I'll cross my fingers for everyone out there in the same or similar boat.

________________________________

From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu on behalf of bwoolls at slis.sjsu.edu
Sent: Tue 2/17/2009 4:03 PM
To: ScarfeK at lompoc.k12.ca.us
Cc: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Subject: [CALIBK12] Our children need a quality education

Hello all,

Once upon a time, as a young mother, I worried that working might deprive
my child of something. When I spoke to a teacher in my school, she said,
"It isn't the quantity of time, it's the quality of time. A mother can be
home all day every day actually paying little attention to what they are
doing, or you can make every moment you do have with them meaningful."

I made a statement in an earlier e-mail about one proposal for a solution,
and it needs to be considered before we lose everything but teachers in
front of large numbers of students in classrooms. Why do schools have to
keep to the present format of days and hours of the day while throwing out
everything by teachers standing in front of classrooms and lecturing so
children can take a test. It isn't appropriate to say "pass" a test
because our students rank so low in so many areas that they seem to be
failing the test they are taking.

If a company can save enough money by having employees work a longer day
and fewer days per week, why can't a school district ask students to
attend a longer day with all that homework assigned for the days they
aren't in school.

Yes, the 180+ day school year is sacrosanct and designated by law, while
taking a quality education away from California students seems acceptable.
Maybe those 180 days can be adjusted in a crisis situation? It's a numbers
game in a way -- count 180, see budget, see line items can seemingly be
done without, erase programs and don't worry if we don't prepare students
for the rest of their lives. We kept them in school for 180 days.

How much would be saved if the buses made trips on only four days? If the
cafeteria didn't have to fire up the stoves for four days? If schools did
not need to be heated or cooled for more than four days?

Could teachers possibly plan differently? Is any part of the time they
have with the classroom meaningful? Could schools continue to let students
have some of the same activities in a shorter week? We do some of that
weeks that have a holiday or a teacher/parent meeting day or or or...

It shouldn't take you and your teachers long to figure out how to make
those longer days work with the last part of the day the things that are
less mind stretching such as choral sessions and athletics and .....? It
would just a little more time to figure out how to make homework
assignments really meaningful and not just busywork.

If a school administration working with all the teachers and staff could
come up with these plans and the money saved, it wouldn't be a Board
meeting at night and looking at the current budget and figuring out who to
let go to make those dollar amounts go away. Take a much broader picture
of what's going on and try to figure ways to cut that don't take away from
a quality education.

A major concern should be that every year in a child's schooling in basic
education is 1/12 of their lives. Are we going to take 2, 4, 6 years of
downturns 1/6, 1/4, 1/2 making our children who can do nothing themselves
about this situation be the ones who suffer? If they don't grow up with
libraries and music and physical education, it is likely that California's
adults for the next thirty years will be way behind the rest of the
country.

Yes, use the CSLA Toolkit and everything Stephen Krashen says, the help
Dave Loertscher offers, and the information Doug Achterman has gathered
for you. Use everything you can find about how libraries boost
achievement, but think about something even bigger and more startling.
Find out how much could be saved by cutting school to 4 days a week to
save money and let the educational program survive, all of it.

Blanche

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