More recess for FCPS?
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Anonymous
| There are very few countries that have the same expectations for their ESOL/FARM students that FCPS has. They aren't trying to close the achievement gap with those children and more affluent non-immigrant children. They are just trying to get them skilled lower level jobs. |
Anonymous
| While parents in FCPS are pushing for more money and more recess and full day K, other districts are shortening their school week. https://www.wptv.com/news/national/denver-area-school-district-moving-to-four-day-school-week-in-the-fall |
Anonymous
So, that is 4 hours and fifteen minutes for instruction. And, if self-experience and family members are your source, could you share which country? |
Anonymous
NP - There are wonderful resources on the internet that compare educations around the world. See below for links. Here is Switzerland for instance. Now I know Switzerland/Finland do not equal the complexity of FFX (huge and diverse), but it isn't FARMS or ESOL keeping this system from being great, we tell ourselves that, so that we can feel good about overpaying for taxes and property, in the right neighborhoods. As long as our schools isn't a high FARMS, pat on back, our children are getting a great education, but are they really? I loved this quote from the article re Finish schools, which I think pretty much sums it up for a lot of better school districts in our area, “Children from wealthy families with lots of education can be taught by stupid teachers,”. No offense to the hard working folks of our VA schools, but there may be some truth to in what I see (anecdotally) going on is some of the "better" districts - - identify the troublemakers early, shuttle them into special ed or special schools, or medicate them, so everyone can just go on autopilot. Meanwhile more affluent parents, or at least those not living paycheck to paycheck can supplement, with outside tutors etc. Oversimplification? Perhaps? I have always been of the mindset that you don't really need 8 hours a day to teach a child anything. Their attention spans are short, so why 7 hours, especially for the younger set. 5 hours a day of high quality instruction for it all (math, arts, PE, music, language, and mathematics), if done efficiently and creatively should be more than enough. I really just don't get it. The school week in Switzerland Cantons set their own timetables although most cantons and municipalities have core times with children usually going to school in the morning from around 8.30am until 11.30am and then from 13.30pm until 16.00pm. Primary school days are shorter than secondary school days. The school year in Switzerland In Switzerland the school year starts between mid-August and mid-September, has two terms or semesters and around 12 weeks holiday a year. Education in Switzerland Education in Switzerland is relatively high. Switzerland is currently ranked 9 out of 65 countries and economies in the OECD/PISA 2012 survey of educational standards amongst 15 year olds. Finland “Children from wealthy families with lots of education can be taught by stupid teachers,” or "Teachers in Finland spend fewer hours at school each day and spend less time in classrooms than American teachers. Teachers use the extra time to build curriculums and assess their students. Children spend far more time playing outside, even in the depths of winter. Homework is minimal. Compulsory schooling does not begin until age 7. “We have no hurry,” said Louhivuori. “Children learn better when they are ready. Why stress them out?” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/#JwBs775DK4PlyFCB.99 https://www.expatica.com/ch/education/Education-in-Switzerland_100021.html http://www.oecd.org/pisa/ |
Anonymous
NP. Here in the US, a school switched to one hour of recess per day and saw immediate positive results. http://www.offgridquest.com/education/texas-school-triples-recess-time-and-see |
Anonymous
Does Switzerland offer a lot of recess? They have a mid-day break but that isn't something the school pays for. My experience from that country is that the kids come home and have lunch at home so the school doesn't pay for the break or the food. Does Switzerland even bus children to school four times a day or is that on the parent's time and dime to get them to and from school? |
Anonymous
And as noted they don't pay for kindergarten. Making the point clearer that FCPS should not be paying for kindergarten either if what kindergarten parents really want is less classroom time. |
Anonymous
| I think the point was that they manage to be tops of the tops in terms of quality of education worldwide. The children are in class no more than 5.5 hours a day, so it can be done. A two hour break in the middle of the day, could conceivably be done, even with the kids not leaving the campus. Combination of a long decent lunch, and a longer break for recess. My DD currently wolfs lunch down in 15 mins and then has 30 mins on the play ground for recess. He's in all day K and miserable. |
Anonymous
| I might add he's had quite a few accidents this year, for the first time in 3 years, because he doesn't want to miss a minute of recess. After sitting sedentary all morning, the gravity gets his bowels moving, but if he takes the 15 mins necessary to use the bathroom he misses his recess. So he holds it in, and when that fails. It's a trip to the nurses office. |
Anonymous
You are correct they do not pay for Kindergarten, but they do pay for high quality preschools. |
Anonymous
|
NP - There are wonderful resources on the internet that compare educations around the world. See below for links. Here is Switzerland for instance. Now I know Switzerland/Finland do not equal the complexity of FFX (huge and diverse), but it isn't FARMS or ESOL keeping this system from being great, we tell ourselves that, so that we can feel good about overpaying for taxes and property, in the right neighborhoods.
Actually it is FARMS and ESOL that are holding us back. And it is not lack of recess. From a few years ago but still relevant. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-county-schools-outperform-us-average-many-countries-on-new-test/2013/03/21/c4872be8-924c-11e2-9cfd-36d6c9b5d7ad_story.html |
Anonymous
Many in the county would be happy to reduce K spending back to half day and provide aftercare through SACC. |
Anonymous
| The absurdity of giving K's only 30 mins of recess a day is most the obvious, example, but the issue extends beyond K. |
Anonymous
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As a former K teacher from another system, I agree that all day is too long for a five year old. Ideally--to me--K would be four to four and a half hours...but that is just not practical. You could not have two sessions and, in today's climate, you could not have one group of kids going home earlier than the others--which is what happened in the past. Back in the day, first and second graders usually went home 30 minutes to an hour earlier than the rest of school.
When I first started teaching (first grade), my kids had PE every day and it was OUTSIDE. Teachers took the kids out for recess, too. But, as demands started changing and rules from above, the teacher has less discretion to give the kids extra time. In the Spring, I would take the kids out on scavenger hunts that related to something we were working on in class. We might do silly fun things, too--like I would hide fake gold on the week of St Patrick's Day. Or, eggs at Easter. We might find something to write about. As long as the kids were learning and we were accomplishing something in class, the principal was supportive. Today, we could not do those things. I didn't have to worry about SOLS or Common Core or any of those tests. Yes, we tested the kids--but, as long as the scores showed progress, we were okay. No stress--except for behavior problems in the classroom--and, yes, there were those then, too. |
Anonymous
Why is that not practical? Half day is allowed in Virginia and Loudoun still has half day K. |