Reply to The number of student holidays is insane.

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Reply to "The number of student holidays is insane."

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Kids love these days off..they break up the monotony of a long school year. Teachers generally don't mind them because days off here and there really aren't that disruptive to learning. The only ones who really care are...parents.

Not sure why we want kids to experience the same 9-5, 5 day a week grind of so many of their parents.[/quote]

Because many of us parents have to work and we need our kids in school while we work![/quote]

No matter how much you want it to be true, school is not daycare.  Teachers are not daycare providers.  You chose to have kids.  You choose to work.  It is 100% on you to figure this out.[/quote]

Aaaaaand that’s why I send my kids to private school. Teachers like this. [/quote]

I’m not a teacher.  I’m a parent who accepts responsibility for my kids.  I’ve never considered the school a daycare center.  [/quote]

Fine, if you say so. I used to teach in a public school. Watching teachers spin this kind of garbage is why my kids will never see the inside of a public school. [/quote]

I’m sure the schools are happy that you and your kids are gone. You sound like an entitled jerk.[/quote]

I do feel entitled to a functional school schedule, yes. And of COURSE it's child care. The people who deny it are making asses of themselves. [/quote]

You’re getting the state required instructional days/hours. That is all you are entitled to.[/quote]

Actually, we're not getting the required hours of INSTRUCTION b/c FCPS is fudging the numbers by counting 100 mins of "walk to the bus" and "walk to the classroom from the bus"-time as "instructional time"  --- when we all know that it is NOT instructional time.  You might think that is no big deal, but that 100 min of lost instructional time per week adds up to another week and a half of school lost b/c FCPS is being dishonest.  Lunch and recess don't count as "instructional" time.  Walking to the classroom from the bus or walking to the bus from the classroom are not legitimate instructional time.

Your math makes no sense at all. If my daughter is in school from 9:20 to 4:20, that is 7 hours. If I remove an hour for lunch and recess that is 6 hours. 6 hours x 180 days is 1080 hours, more than the requirement. No one is counting “walking to the bus” time. That happens prior to 9:20 and after 4:20. Please stop buying into every rumor you hear.

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^^ Sorry, just double checked the times. They go until 4:05pm. So 5 hours and 45 minutes x 180 = 1035. Still more than 990.[/quote]

Minor point:  you didn't count the 5 early release days as "half days" (which gets you to the 990).

More important point:  FCPS gives us "just enough" scheduled time to meet the requirements.... but have you ever considered what happens when there are snow days (i.e. no school), early release for weather, or 2 hr delays for weather --- WHEN THERE ARE NO MAKE UP DAYS?

If you only have 990 hours scheduled, and you tell people that they never have to make up snow days because the snow days are "built in" -- something is fishy!  If there are NO snow days/late arrivals/early releases (for weather), THEN your kid gets the required minimum.  If there are ANY snow days, delays, early releases throughout the year, your kid is simply getting gipped out of their required educational time.  Welcome to FCPS.[/quote]

5 early release days (10 hours) gets you to 1025, not 990. That is still 35 hours extra which equals 6 days of snow. 
When it’s all said and done, it’s probably pretty close to 990.[/quote]

I know you don't want to believe it, but it's true.  The way they worked out the "built in" snow days was to find a way to count non-instructional time as "instructional" time so that they "magically" found 10 "built in" snow days without actually adding 10 days to the calendar.  That is the fact.  I assure you FCPS is not scheduling one hour more than 990 in their planned calendar.  And when snow days come, or delays or wind or rain days... the way they get around making them up is by fudging the way they count the hours.

Be smart:  Don't you think FCPS would be trying to shorten the year if they had -- let's say--- 3 snow days in a given year (less than the supposed 10 that are "built in")?  If they actually met the 990 hours earlier in June, don't you think they'd shorten the year and let kids out early?  They don't do that b/c there aren't really 10 snow days built into the calendar.  There are no actual snow days built in.... just faux "instructional hours."  They get around making up snow days (or other missed days) by padding the number of scheduled instructional hours with 100 min. per week of walking time to and from the classroom as being "instructional hours."  You and I know that that activity is NOT "instruction."  To count it as "instruction" to meet the 990 means that they are giving less than the 990 ACTUAL instructional hours when there are any snow days (or weather delays) per year.

It's a slight of hand.  Those who were around 10 years ago when this "creative accounting" was conceived know the truth.  It hasn't changed.
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And by reducing the snow days to 5, it’s easier for them to justify the virtual days as instructional.[/quote]

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