Anonymous wrote:Half days are a complete waste of time.

Only if the school chooses to make it so. It’s not a “half” day, it’s 2 hr early release. My school runs a schedule where classes are 30 minutes long. Plenty of time for an activity, finishing a multi-day task, quiz retakes, or makeup work. On the 2 days before Thanksgiving they had 1hr classes on one day (and 4th period was split).

If you don’t like Whitman’s choices, send our feedback to the principal and work through the PTA for a different plan before the next one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just let your kids skip school. What is the big deal?

I did, well, one of them. The other is "in" the pep rally and didn't want to miss it. Apparently, this means she didn't have to go to the 10-minute classes anyway, because they would be rehearsing. So, I did the nice mom thing and let one skip, but still got the joy of waking up at 6.30 to ensure the other got to school. It was a win-win!

Good for you. Sounds like what I would have done too

agree. complete waste of time!

Next year's calendar will have fewer early release days. Five instead of eight this year.

Anonymous wrote:Today, my two kids at Whitman have 10-minute classes followed by a Culture of Respect lesson and Pep Rally. The lesson and pep rally are staggered apparently (half go to one while half go to the other, then each is repeated). I'm all for the Culture of Respect lessons and other social-emotional components being integrated into the school curriculum, but to do both that and the pep rally in one half-day, thereby creating 10-minute classes, created a lot of stress in my house because the kids were lobbying to stay home, and I could see their point. The academic component of the day is 70 minutes long, and obviously teachers will not be doing anything substantive in 10 minutes.

Do other high schools have the same situation today? The traffic was significantly lighter during drop off.

I don't see school as childcare (my kids are teens anyway), and I understand half days. I just dislike days that don't really count, if that makes sense. I'd rather days be truly on or truly off.

Whitman definitely needs "Culture of Respect" lesson.
It is half-day! They were not going to learn anything substantive in classes anyways, so they might as well learn something valuable instead.

Last year, MCPS let kids do the Cultur of Redpect lessons at home and most never did them. Now they have to use instructional time.

At least make these half days late start so these kids can sleep in!

My kids lobbied to stay home as well as lots of their friends. Didn't work though.

I wish the kids would have longer spring or winter breaks instead of all these half days.

Anonymous wrote:Just let your kids skip school. What is the big deal?

I did, well, one of them. The other is "in" the pep rally and didn't want to miss it. Apparently, this means she didn't have to go to the 10-minute classes anyway, because they would be rehearsing. So, I did the nice mom thing and let one skip, but still got the joy of waking up at 6.30 to ensure the other got to school. It was a win-win!

Just let your kids skip school. What is the big deal?

Total. Waste. Of. Time.

AGAIN

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to guess that Whitman doesn't have a space that holds the whole student body, so if logistically they want to hold these two events, having them back to back is what works.

I don't think you can say you think the activity is important, and also that you think class time shouldn't be cancelled for it, and it's babysitting. You have to pick a lane.

I don't see these as the only two lanes. I would prefer for them to not use a half day for these activities, which amounts to no instructional time in their academic classes. On a full day, it makes for a nice change of pace.

I'm going to guess that Whitman doesn't have a space that holds the whole student body, so if logistically they want to hold these two events, having them back to back is what works.

I don't think you can say you think the activity is important, and also that you think class time shouldn't be cancelled for it, and it's babysitting. You have to pick a lane.

Half days are a complete waste of time.

Today, my two kids at Whitman have 10-minute classes followed by a Culture of Respect lesson and Pep Rally. The lesson and pep rally are staggered apparently (half go to one while half go to the other, then each is repeated). I'm all for the Culture of Respect lessons and other social-emotional components being integrated into the school curriculum, but to do both that and the pep rally in one half-day, thereby creating 10-minute classes, created a lot of stress in my house because the kids were lobbying to stay home, and I could see their point. The academic component of the day is 70 minutes long, and obviously teachers will not be doing anything substantive in 10 minutes.

Do other high schools have the same situation today? The traffic was significantly lighter during drop off.

I don't see school as childcare (my kids are teens anyway), and I understand half days. I just dislike days that don't really count, if that makes sense. I'd rather days be truly on or truly off.