4 Day School Weeks
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Anonymous
Jeez Pp get over it. I’m not a teacher nor do I think 4 day weeks are the answer but the pandemic remote school was 2.5 years ago. Move on. |
Anonymous
This plus bringing back discipline and looking at how to reduce the loads on teachers seem like the best ways. |
Anonymous
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Do people really believe you can take away 7 hours every week and there will be no change in student learning? If this is the case, we have so much more to worry about.
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Anonymous
Yes, and I think there are diminishing returns, especially for young children. I have at least one kid fall asleep every week. We’ve also taken the play time out of school. That’s how young children learn and regulate. Kids should have play time/free choice built in through elementary school. |
Anonymous
The districts in the article have lengthened the school day |
Anonymous
I teach middle school. There is SO much wasted time on block schedule at this age. Kids can’t focus for 90 minutes on math. I chunk my block into 6 “sections” of 10ish minutes each—either direct instruction or active practice. In between each section is 3-4 minutes of fluff. Brain breaks, community building activities, silly challenges. Anything so that they are still with me the last 30 minutes. So yeah, around 20-30% of my class is not content out of necessity, and I think you could cut that out without repercussions. On 2 hour delays/early releases I get through the same material I cover in a 90 minute block, just without all the fluff. They are squirrelly at the end, but it’s manageable. |
Anonymous
Students are in school for 6 hours and 45 minutes. I don’t remember a 6 hour school day and I’ve been with FCPS for 30 years. Yes, kindergarten used to be half a day. As far as the early release Mondays, those were often filled with meetings and the specials during T-F were shorter than an hour. When they got rid of the early release, we gained planning time when they added the policy of 300 minutes per week, a minimum of 240 teacher directed and 60 collaborative. I remember Dr. Garza touting the increased planning time at the ES level during STAC meetings. That went well for a year or so and then she left. As we’ve moved further away from the removal of the early release, our planning times have been taking up by more collaborative meetings resulting in less amount of teacher directed, unencumbered planning time. |
Anonymous
| FCPS just went through major calendar planning for a set 3 year calendar. It is now approved and without 4 day school week for the next three years. I doubt that if this 4 day school week was even slightly plausible that the super would go to such lengths to plan the current 3 year calendar. |
Anonymous
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I think the school day needs to just be restructured.
Elementary- no subject should be more than 45 mins in my opinion. Kids can’t focus for that long. Recess should be 45 mins to 1 hour. Currently kids start coming in at 9:05 and start leaving at 4:05. That is 7 hours at school. Sample Schedule Elementary 1 hour for specials 30 min lunch 45 min recess 45 min for Math 30 mins Writing 30 mins Reading 15 mins Word Study 30 mins SS 30 mins Science 30 mins- intervention and Enrichment. That would be 5.75 hours which is much better for kids. Secondary- Get rid of block scheduling except for certain classes such as Science that has labs. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
This would be so much better. The day could even be 6 hours because the 15 minutes could be counted in as arrival time. It takes 15 minutes to get kids in the doors as it is. |
Anonymous
Allow me to translate I need daycare M-F for 7+ hours. |
Anonymous
+1 the days are too long already |
Anonymous
It was early 2000"s |
Anonymous
| Private schools will have a heyday if that happens. Just doesn’t work for working parents. All of the school holidays are hard enough. |