Reply to healthier high schools from a teacher perspective

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "healthier high schools from a teacher perspective"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]notes to our principal

Start School Later: Consider delaying the start of the school day to after 8:30 AM. Research shows that later start times can significantly benefit students who are currently showing signs of exhaustion. This change is not only age-appropriate but has also been linked to improved student performance and well-being.

Cell Phone Use and Mental Health: There is a growing concern about cell phone addiction and its detrimental effects on students in the classroom. With mental health issues at unprecedented levels among youth, it is crucial to address and manage cell phone usage to foster a healthier learning environment and care for our kids addictions.[/quote]

Notes to you:

[b]Later Start time:  No, some parents have to drive their kids and a later start time is an issue with work.  Its also an issue with outside activities.  Those activities enhance kids physical and mental well being. Instead be a parent and enhance a bed time.[/b]

Cell phone use:  As a teacher, start teaching again.  Don't do few google slides and call it a day.  Use a real textbook, teach a lesson, review the homework from the previous day and hold kids accountable.  Kids are partly on cell phones because they are bored.  Your class is boring and not stimulating.  Fix it.  (and thank you to the teachers who do teach and put in an effort - referring to two we had last year who were life changing).[/quote]

For high school students? You can drop off a high school student early and as long as the library or common areas are open they can study or socialize until school starts -- they aren't in preschool. Also by high school most kids can get to school on their own.

Your comment about the importance of activities would be more convincing if there was any indication that their importance should be balanced against getting proper rest so that you can be functional in school. Perhaps if kids weren't in so many activities they would not be so overtired and an early start time wouldn't matter as much. But kids are doing tons of activities on top of school and this is why they are absolutely exhausted. A later start time would be more likely to get kids needed rest than telling parents to "enforce a bedtime" (again: for high school students?) because no matter when school gets out extra-curriculars will find a way to keep kids at practice or rehearsal or whatever until 8pm or even later. But far fewer activities will try to force kids into morning practices so pushing school start until 8:30 or later gives kids a chanc eof actually getting some extra sleep.

As others have pointed out it doesn't matter how engaging classroom material is -- it can't compete with a freaking phone (or a classroom full of them). Phones are designed to distract. Opposing policies that eliminate the option of using phones in class is just bizarre.[/quote]

Kids aren't going to get extra sleep, they will just go to bed later and get the same sleep.  As a parent, YOU need to tell your kids to go to bed and enforce bedtime.  If not, that's fine but stop justifying your lack of parenting with messing things up for many people.

I find it absurd that you would refuse a child to explore their intersts as it doesn't meet your needs or fit into your parenting or lack there of.

Mine has morning sports practices.  And, they can be at school from start to 9-11 PM depending on what.  You clearly don't have kids in activities or just in school activities.  However, MCPS doesn't have high level music or sports so if you want that, you have to go privately..  Starting school at 8:30 would be a transportation issue and mess up after school activities.  Not all schools have lights outside so MCPS would have to pay for lights or cancel those sports/band, all so your kids can sleep in.

Somehow our exhausted kids manage just fine, so why can't you who aren't in activities?

And, there is no safe way between dangerous roads, its sometimes dark and no sidewalks for my chidl to walk or bike and there are no public buses.  And, then they'd miss sports because they could not get to the facility on time since its right after school.

Phones are not the problem, the adults are.  And, the curriculum.  The curriculum outside AP classes is very basic.  Its very easy to check out.[/quote]

I agree adults are the problem. But many of the problematic adults are completely oblivious to this fact. They think they are already doing what is best for kids and they are very resistant to any suggested change because they can't see the issue with how they are currently raising their kids.[/quote]

The phones are not the problem.  The curriculum, discipline policy and lack there of are.  If it’s not phones it’s the chromebooks.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics