Restructuring education / school is killing our kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Require less credits to graduate, thereby reducing the number of weekly classes, which could shorten class periods, which could shorten the school day/week.

Leaving more time for what exactly?

[Anonymous]

Free up academic schedule to allow for more time spent in the arts and athletics, which could be done off campus in a variety of settings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Require less credits to graduate, thereby reducing the number of weekly classes, which could shorten class periods, which could shorten the school day/week.

Leaving more time for what exactly?

Activities kids actually enjoy. Clubs, theatre, musical instruments, debate, reading for pleasure, sewing, cooking, fishing, boating, skate boarding, socializing, part time job, taking care of family, volunteering, yoga, gaming, gardening, exploring, - the opportunities are endless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Require less credits to graduate, thereby reducing the number of weekly classes, which could shorten class periods, which could shorten the school day/week.

Leaving more time for what exactly?

Activities kids actually enjoy. Clubs, theatre, musical instruments, debate, reading for pleasure, sewing, cooking, fishing, boating, skate boarding, socializing, part time job, taking care of family, volunteering, yoga, gaming, gardening, exploring, - the opportunities are endless.

But we all know what the average teenager will actually do with a lot of spare time. Our high school gets out of school at 2:15. There are already a lot of afternoon hours for them to pursue any of those things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you. The current form of schooling is based on the colonial era where they had small schoolhouses with a few teachers teaching a small community of children. Obviously we've scaled that up to large buildings with many teachers, but the number of students has far exceeded the ratio of teachers. I don't know where to even begin with a modern solution, but we are forcing an outdated method into 2022 where the state of affairs has changed immensely. We are now in a locally globalized population with very wide discrepancies in SES and abilities.

The real answer is to have many more teachers in more rooms to have class sizes back in the 15 max range, but funding and space is the limiting factor.

+1000

I also would add that school days do not need to be 7 hours long 5 days a week. That is not how humans are wired to develop. Attention spans are not that long.

90 minute classes are absurd. Most adults can’t focus 90 minutes without caffeine or some sort of monetary motivation. Kids’ brains are not fully developed and attention spans are significantly shorter than an adult attention span. STOP EXPECTING STUDENTS TO BEHAVE LIKE ADULTS - THEY ARE KIDS WHO ARE STILL DEVELOPING.

Teach more relevant subjects/curriculum. Think outside of semesters. Offer classes that last 2 weeks. 4 weeks. 6 weeks. Classes could be taught more like community education classes. Electives don’t need to be year long. How about mini electives that last 4 weeks? Short courses.

Educational flexibility that allows education to take place outside of one’s LEA.

Get rid of PE! Or shorten it to a 4 week short course learning the basics of kinesiology/health. Allow community classes like ballet, tkd, tennis, etc. count for PE credit.

Already mentioned, but worth restating, student to teacher ratios need to be smaller. Class sizes are too large and a single human should not be expected to manage the behavior of 25+ students while expecting to teach lessons. I really can’t comprehend how teachers are doing this day in and day out. Imagine having 25 kids in your home for 6-7 hours a day that you are responsible for while planning and teaching multiple subjects while squeezing in time to correspond with all of their guardians and other teachers/principals and go to trainings and planning meetings every single moment the kids are not in your immediate care. And after those 6-7 hours of direct care/instruction you must continue to work on creating materials, shop for supplies, grading papers, documenting, collaborating, train, attend continuing Ed, answer emails, meet with parents, and clean your classroom, etc. it never ends.

Reduce the standards of learning and shorten class time thereby shortening the school day. Bored students can opt into accelerated AP/honors classes that have additional SOL.

change up the school calendar. 6 weeks of school/4 weeks off type of calendar. STOP DESIGNING EDUCATION AROUND THE WORK SCHEDULES OF ADULTS. If our country promoted parental responsibility of spending time with and raising our own children, we would not be looking for childcare solutions. Create a culture/society where there is an actual work/home balance. Rethink the workweek.

Some of your ideas are good, but they are unrelated to the mental health problems experienced by kids and youth. We did all of this in the 70s and 80s and did not have the same problems. This is an epidemic that is related to something else... tech, diet, the environment, etc. (See gut biome research). However, learning is also much harder now, given the emphasis on mainstreaming all kids with all types of physical, intellectual and emotional problems. There is no way for one person to deal with that, but it is not the large class sizes, it is the variety of needs. We also need to move away from the "college prep for all" mode. It is just unrealistic that all kids can handle the demands of college, and these kids need a way to earn a living. Bring back vocational programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Require less credits to graduate, thereby reducing the number of weekly classes, which could shorten class periods, which could shorten the school day/week.

Leaving more time for what exactly?

Activities kids actually enjoy. Clubs, theatre, musical instruments, debate, reading for pleasure, sewing, cooking, fishing, boating, skate boarding, socializing, part time job, taking care of family, volunteering, yoga, gaming, gardening, exploring, - the opportunities are endless.

But we all know what the average teenager will actually do with a lot of spare time. Our high school gets out of school at 2:15. There are already a lot of afternoon hours for them to pursue any of those things.

+1

Even during the one hour of lunch kids currently get guess that most do? Sit and stare at their phones for an hour. This isn’t all on schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Require less credits to graduate, thereby reducing the number of weekly classes, which could shorten class periods, which could shorten the school day/week.

Leaving more time for what exactly?

Activities kids actually enjoy. Clubs, theatre, musical instruments, debate, reading for pleasure, sewing, cooking, fishing, boating, skate boarding, socializing, part time job, taking care of family, volunteering, yoga, gaming, gardening, exploring, - the opportunities are endless.

But we all know what the average teenager will actually do with a lot of spare time. Our high school gets out of school at 2:15. There are already a lot of afternoon hours for them to pursue any of those things.

A typical day for my teen ——— My teen wakes up at 6:30 am and gets home from school at 3:30, exhausted. That’s 9 hours straight of sensory input and social and academic demands with no break. After resting for a an hour or two he begins an evening of homework and daily instrument practice, eats dinner, showers, and goes to bed. It’s all he can handle. I know some kids have more energy, need less sleep, thrive in crowded social environments, get through homework more efficiently, etc. —— but many students can’t and don’t and their days become overwhelming making their lives overwhelming which results in mental health disorders.

My son has many interests that he’d love to pursue, but does not have time to commit to his hobbies. I feel for him. He’s a good student, but he does not enjoy school.

[Anonymous]

Homeschool and get your kids treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homeschool and get your kids treatment.

+1. PP, I feel for your son, but school is only 7 hours a day. He’s not even doing that much outside of it. Many teens do sports or hold down jobs. If he is exhausted by his current schedule then I would evaluate if something is wrong with his nutrition/screen use/mental or physical health. And consider alternate schedules like homeschooling. Also, it will get much better in college since classes are more spread out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you. The current form of schooling is based on the colonial era where they had small schoolhouses with a few teachers teaching a small community of children. Obviously we've scaled that up to large buildings with many teachers, but the number of students has far exceeded the ratio of teachers. I don't know where to even begin with a modern solution, but we are forcing an outdated method into 2022 where the state of affairs has changed immensely. We are now in a locally globalized population with very wide discrepancies in SES and abilities.

The real answer is to have many more teachers in more rooms to have class sizes back in the 15 max range, but funding and space is the limiting factor.

Just so you know there is no evidence smaller classes lead to better outdoors. This is a teacher union line for more funding…in Taiwan they have classes with 50 students and consistently rank high in PISA test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you. The current form of schooling is based on the colonial era where they had small schoolhouses with a few teachers teaching a small community of children. Obviously we've scaled that up to large buildings with many teachers, but the number of students has far exceeded the ratio of teachers. I don't know where to even begin with a modern solution, but we are forcing an outdated method into 2022 where the state of affairs has changed immensely. We are now in a locally globalized population with very wide discrepancies in SES and abilities.

The real answer is to have many more teachers in more rooms to have class sizes back in the 15 max range, but funding and space is the limiting factor.

Just so you know there is no evidence smaller classes lead to better outdoors. This is a teacher union line for more funding…in Taiwan they have classes with 50 students and consistently rank high in PISA test.

Ok, but I imagine Taiwan's classrooms are essentially homogenous. Everyone speaks the same language. My point is that when the entire student body knows the language expertly at a native level, a lot of the barriers and wide discrepancies disappear.

The US only ranks lower because of how generous we are in attempting to educate poor and underserved immigrants. That's analogous to how schools in the inner cities are considered terrible just because they must educate the poorest and most distressed children in crime-ridden areas.

[Anonymous]

Pay teachers more. Give them ressources and empower them. Also treat social media and screen for what they are - an addiction. It's not just kids, it's us adults too. We need to get this under control as a society. How, I don't know...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you. The current form of schooling is based on the colonial era where they had small schoolhouses with a few teachers teaching a small community of children. Obviously we've scaled that up to large buildings with many teachers, but the number of students has far exceeded the ratio of teachers. I don't know where to even begin with a modern solution, but we are forcing an outdated method into 2022 where the state of affairs has changed immensely. We are now in a locally globalized population with very wide discrepancies in SES and abilities.

The real answer is to have many more teachers in more rooms to have class sizes back in the 15 max range, but funding and space is the limiting factor.

Just so you know there is no evidence smaller classes lead to better outdoors. This is a teacher union line for more funding…in Taiwan they have classes with 50 students and consistently rank high in PISA test.

Taiwan can get away with it due to cultural factors that the US cannot hope to copy.

Families in Taiwan place a high premium on academic achievement. The teacher teaches to a high standard and families do all kinds of reinforcement at home to keep up. No differentiation needed. Families also instill in their kids a high respect for their teachers. Disrespecting your teacher will lead to your classmates looking down on you and then getting punished both in the classroom and at home. That makes large class sizes manageable. The families make it work.

Taiwan and many parts of Asia are just wired differently and what works over there would never work over here. We need other models. There's a reason we don't do 50 student classes.

That said, I kind of agree that there's an overreliance on schools to be a magic bullet. Smaller class sizes and other initiatives will help, but what will help even more is to just have fewer kids in poverty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Require less credits to graduate, thereby reducing the number of weekly classes, which could shorten class periods, which could shorten the school day/week.

Leaving more time for what exactly?

Activities kids actually enjoy. Clubs, theatre, musical instruments, debate, reading for pleasure, sewing, cooking, fishing, boating, skate boarding, socializing, part time job, taking care of family, volunteering, yoga, gaming, gardening, exploring, - the opportunities are endless.

Why can’t they do both? School is dumbed down enough.

[Anonymous]

Reimagine how our society works and then we can reimagine how education works.

Our education system is a similar system to corporate America. Meanwhile individual schools operate like small non profits trying to work within the system to fix the problems.