Making up snow days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no reason for summer to be 10 weeks long.

How long should it be?

Ideally, I think it should be around a month and then add additional breaks during the rest of the year. There is a lot of evidence that summer is harmful for learning, especially for less privileged students.

[Anonymous]

I believe kids should have the benefit of all the instructional days but the last week of school, historically, is 95% social. If days are added, it is better to add them earlier, take out 1/2 days/instructional days and stop the school year on that Friday--not extend into new week. I would imagine class sizes will be greatly reduced if school has to be extended into the week of June 15th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe kids should have the benefit of all the instructional days but the last week of school, historically, is 95% social. If days are added, it is better to add them earlier, take out 1/2 days/instructional days and stop the school year on that Friday--not extend into new week. I would imagine class sizes will be greatly reduced if school has to be extended into the week of June 15th.

I don't understand this rationale. If they add a week, then the previous week would be work, final tests and so forth and the new week would be the social week. It will still work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am full tiem working mother and yes my children attend camp every single week of the summer aside frm our vacation week. We sign up in January so I can ensure they are at activities they will enjoy. Many camps fill up almost immediately. In all the years my children haven have attended MCPS has never actually followed their plan so it is hard to take it seriously. I don't believe that adding days at the end is a productive way to do it especially after ES. Yes it was my gamble but it is one many many families are forced to take.

That sucks for your kids. Their entire summer is completely structured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am full tiem working mother and yes my children attend camp every single week of the summer aside frm our vacation week. We sign up in January so I can ensure they are at activities they will enjoy. Many camps fill up almost immediately. In all the years my children haven have attended MCPS has never actually followed their plan so it is hard to take it seriously. I don't believe that adding days at the end is a productive way to do it especially after ES. Yes it was my gamble but it is one many many families are forced to take.

That sucks for your kids. Their entire summer is completely structured. [/quote/]

Nice for you to cast stones. You must be a peach IRL. PP is doing what she must to provide her kids with a stable home environment.

I don't have much job flexibility either. My kids spend 2 weeks with grandparents/1 week with us/1 week with another family member. However, if I didn't have family they would be going to a structured camp all summer. Also my kid's standardized test scores always increase substantially from the end of school to the beginning of the next year so I really don't think the extra week is a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Funny you think it sucks for my kids to have a structured summer and my kids think your kids must be so bored at home while they are rock climbing, sailing, learning to program apps. Each to their own but the opportunities for summer growth and fun are tremendous. This is nothing like the structure of a school day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny you think it sucks for my kids to have a structured summer and my kids think your kids must be so bored at home while they are rock climbing, sailing, learning to program apps. Each to their own but the opportunities for summer growth and fun are tremendous. This is nothing like the structure of a school day.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am full tiem working mother and yes my children attend camp every single week of the summer aside frm our vacation week. We sign up in January so I can ensure they are at activities they will enjoy. Many camps fill up almost immediately. In all the years my children haven have attended MCPS has never actually followed their plan so it is hard to take it seriously. I don't believe that adding days at the end is a productive way to do it especially after ES. Yes it was my gamble but it is one many many families are forced to take.

That sucks for your kids. Their entire summer is completely structured.

Poor little dears!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny you think it sucks for my kids to have a structured summer and my kids think your kids must be so bored at home while they are rock climbing, sailing, learning to program apps. Each to their own but the opportunities for summer growth and fun are tremendous. This is nothing like the structure of a school day.

But it is still structured. When they wake, when they get dropped off, when they eat lunch, pick programs, do those programs. Don't act up, don't do anything wrong, follow the adult's rules. Line up, go home, shower, dinner, spend 10 minutes with parents, sleep, get up do the same thing again. They have no free time to do what they choose. Pick friends to hang out with, use their creative minds, spend time away from adults who structure their whole lives. My kids do some summer camps occassionally too but 10 weeks straight then right back to school?

Kids minds are getting warped. You need to read some of Peter Gray's articles and books and realize how valuable free play is and why there is so much depression, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and lack of social skills in kid these days. It is eye opening how much we all learned playing outside with friends without parents or camp counselors up our ass. But sadly most parents think they are doing good putting their kids in 7 activities a week and structuring their every movement. Could you imagine if your parents did that to you growing up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny you think it sucks for my kids to have a structured summer and my kids think your kids must be so bored at home while they are rock climbing, sailing, learning to program apps. Each to their own but the opportunities for summer growth and fun are tremendous. This is nothing like the structure of a school day.

But it is still structured. When they wake, when they get dropped off, when they eat lunch, pick programs, do those programs. Don't act up, don't do anything wrong, follow the adult's rules. Line up, go home, shower, dinner, spend 10 minutes with parents, sleep, get up do the same thing again. They have no free time to do what they choose. Pick friends to hang out with, use their creative minds, spend time away from adults who structure their whole lives. My kids do some summer camps occassionally too but 10 weeks straight then right back to school?

Kids minds are getting warped. You need to read some of Peter Gray's articles and books and realize how valuable free play is and why there is so much depression, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and lack of social skills in kid these days. It is eye opening how much we all learned playing outside with friends without parents or camp counselors up our ass. But sadly most parents think they are doing good putting their kids in 7 activities a week and structuring their every movement. Could you imagine if your parents did that to you growing up?

So what is your solution for working families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny you think it sucks for my kids to have a structured summer and my kids think your kids must be so bored at home while they are rock climbing, sailing, learning to program apps. Each to their own but the opportunities for summer growth and fun are tremendous. This is nothing like the structure of a school day.

But it is still structured. When they wake, when they get dropped off, when they eat lunch, pick programs, do those programs. Don't act up, don't do anything wrong, follow the adult's rules. Line up, go home, shower, dinner, spend 10 minutes with parents, sleep, get up do the same thing again. They have no free time to do what they choose. Pick friends to hang out with, use their creative minds, spend time away from adults who structure their whole lives. My kids do some summer camps occassionally too but 10 weeks straight then right back to school?

Kids minds are getting warped. You need to read some of Peter Gray's articles and books and realize how valuable free play is and why there is so much depression, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and lack of social skills in kid these days. It is eye opening how much we all learned playing outside with friends without parents or camp counselors up our ass. But sadly most parents think they are doing good putting their kids in 7 activities a week and structuring their every movement. Could you imagine if your parents did that to you growing up?

So what is your solution for working families?

NP, we hired a college girl to supervise our kids. That way they could still have that carefree, idyllic childhood hanging out around the neighborhood with the neighbor kids and just be themselves (ie eat lunch whenever, do whatever art project they want, swim when they want, etc. - within reason of course) without the constant.structure, yet still had rides if they need to go somewhere, and someone to oversee their activities.

I'm a big proponent of the free-range idea, so this is why we did it this way. I don't want every second of my child's day to be structured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny you think it sucks for my kids to have a structured summer and my kids think your kids must be so bored at home while they are rock climbing, sailing, learning to program apps. Each to their own but the opportunities for summer growth and fun are tremendous. This is nothing like the structure of a school day.

But it is still structured. When they wake, when they get dropped off, when they eat lunch, pick programs, do those programs. Don't act up, don't do anything wrong, follow the adult's rules. Line up, go home, shower, dinner, spend 10 minutes with parents, sleep, get up do the same thing again. They have no free time to do what they choose. Pick friends to hang out with, use their creative minds, spend time away from adults who structure their whole lives. My kids do some summer camps occassionally too but 10 weeks straight then right back to school?

Kids minds are getting warped. You need to read some of Peter Gray's articles and books and realize how valuable free play is and why there is so much depression, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and lack of social skills in kid these days. It is eye opening how much we all learned playing outside with friends without parents or camp counselors up our ass. But sadly most parents think they are doing good putting their kids in 7 activities a week and structuring their every movement. Could you imagine if your parents did that to you growing up?

So what is your solution for working families?

NP, we hired a college girl to supervise our kids. That way they could still have that carefree, idyllic childhood hanging out around the neighborhood with the neighbor kids and just be themselves (ie eat lunch whenever, do whatever art project they want, swim when they want, etc. - within reason of course) without the constant.structure, yet still had rides if they need to go somewhere, and someone to oversee their activities.

I'm a big proponent of the free-range idea, so this is why we did it this way. I don't want every second of my child's day to be structured.

We tried that for a few weeks one summer. Kids were bored because no one was around. Friends were either in camp or away, no one in the neighborhood was home during the day. They begged to go to camp after that.

[Anonymous]

Yeah...you see idyllic free range days. I see lots of screen time and boredum...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny you think it sucks for my kids to have a structured summer and my kids think your kids must be so bored at home while they are rock climbing, sailing, learning to program apps. Each to their own but the opportunities for summer growth and fun are tremendous. This is nothing like the structure of a school day.

But it is still structured. When they wake, when they get dropped off, when they eat lunch, pick programs, do those programs. Don't act up, don't do anything wrong, follow the adult's rules. Line up, go home, shower, dinner, spend 10 minutes with parents, sleep, get up do the same thing again. They have no free time to do what they choose. Pick friends to hang out with, use their creative minds, spend time away from adults who structure their whole lives. My kids do some summer camps occassionally too but 10 weeks straight then right back to school?

Kids minds are getting warped. You need to read some of Peter Gray's articles and books and realize how valuable free play is and why there is so much depression, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and lack of social skills in kid these days. It is eye opening how much we all learned playing outside with friends without parents or camp counselors up our ass. But sadly most parents think they are doing good putting their kids in 7 activities a week and structuring their every movement. Could you imagine if your parents did that to you growing up?

Did you just blame ADHD, anxiety, AND OCD on CAMP? It must be so nice to live in your world.

[Anonymous]

Reading these threads LOL at all of the bitter parents who were inconvenienced by the snowdays! Forgive me for not feeling sorry for you! School is NOT A DAYCARE! God forbid you not get every last bit of time from each missed snowday! Your precious little Johnny will likely miss out on that IVY scholarship after the travesty back in kindergarten due to missed minutes! They are YOUR kids, DEAL with them. What the schools decide, they decide, and life will go on, with or without the days tacked on!!!!!

Signed,
Your Child's Teacher