New math, block scheduling, the entire Ky. Education Reform Act, various methods of teaching reading other than phonics, self-esteem programs and the variations on the school calendar. After trying out new methods, they are eventually dropped and schools go back to the old tried and true ways, but much damage is done before that happens. Although for some reason reading is suffering big time.

 

Add phase electives and modular scheduling to the list.

 

I'm not going to pretend to have any clue what you are talking about for the most part, but I am telling you that if schools started when kids were 3 going on 4 and they were taught how to read the reading situation would be a lot better. There are studies showing that most of the brain develops by the age of 5. Kids pick up the language part well before 5. They need to be taught how to read. The parents are responsible now and that's fine, but the info needs to be there for them and I feel bad for kids who's parents would have the info and not care. Therefore, and it would be expensive, public schools should start at younger ages.

I think an 8 week break could work with a lot of things BUT construction. Heck we have been out since the week after Memorial Day and the roofs of our two elementary school are not done and it is debatable whether they are going to be done by Aug 18th when we are supposed to go back.

 

They have had to remove all the air conditioning units and things that were on the roofs, install posts to strengthen the ceiling with the new roof and we have yet to see the beginnings of a pitched roof over the present flat roof.

 

No way that the construction that is done to schools to update them can all be done in 8 weeks. Not without paying major overtime rates.

 

Probably true.

There will be pros and cons to any system. The bottom line is what system would students better learn in. I don't know if there is a better system then what we have and I agree with some of LBBC's concerns. But some just don't pass the smell test. And as far as teachers becoming 12 month employees what would really change? They would still get the same amount of time off it would just be spread out over the year. As far as the AC concern goes, I agree about the ones that don't have central air but the no way the ones that do have it don't run it during the summer. There is always things going on during the summer at the schools (as some have mentioned on here, summer school) so the AC is being used.

 

On the bolded use common sense here. Which is harder to keep cooler? A building that has about 50 workers in it or a building that might have 1,000 to 2,000 students/workers in it?

First off, I am in favor of a more year round calendar than what we presently have. I would not have a problem with less of a time in the summer and it spread out throughout the year to give more recharging time for the students.

 

I was giving information on what goes on in the summer and how it takes a great deal of time to get all the work done in the summer.

 

I have not even addressed the hiring of new teachers, developing of a master schedule to put teachers in place to match the # of student requests for different classes at the high school level, putting 500-2000 students schedules together and looking for places that it will not work with the rooming arrangement.

 

BTW, counselors are only paid 20 days over all the summer time to do this.

 

These are all very time consuming issues, particularly if you want quality teachers and curriculum. :thumb:

I guess I misunderstood.

I guess you misunderstood what I meant by it. I took what you said to mean that people were attacking teachers. The point of my post was why couldn't a teacher get their continuing ed or take their masters course at night or on the weekends like everyone else. My mom, dad, and brother all received their masters while working full time jobs. My mom would drive to Bowling Green every Saturday to take classes. So why can't teachers do it?

I guess you misunderstood what I meant by it. I took what you said to mean that people were attacking teachers. The point of my post was why couldn't a teacher get their continuing ed or take their masters course at night or on the weekends like everyone else. My mom, dad, and brother all received their masters while working full time jobs. My mom would drive to Bowling Green every Saturday to take classes. So why can't teachers do it?

 

Would your mom lose her job if she did not get her masters? Teachers do. In fact, they have to have half of it within the first 5 years or they lose their teaching certificate. All of it within 10 years.

 

But on a pace to get it within ten years means that schools will be short of principals, counselors and the like that require ANOTHER 30 hours OVER their masters degree in most cases.

 

In addition, teacher's meetings after school, parent/teacher conferences, PD's, department meetings, coaches, all puts a bring ole monkey wrench in doing those things after school.

 

Myself, coaching, soccer, basketball and softball when I was younger gave me no time to attend classes after school during the school year. I was in practice or at a game.

 

I finished my 30 hours up over 4 summers when I had the time to do it and wasn't in practice or games.

 

I will say that the Internet has made it a lot more easier to attain your masters/rank I/administration degrees than it did in the past when you had to drive an hour or two somewhere to take a class.

On the bolded use common sense here. Which is harder to keep cooler? A building that has about 50 workers in it or a building that might have 1,000 to 2,000 students/workers in it?

Of course it will cost a little more but to act like those buildings are empty is silly. And if it means the quality of education increases wouldn't it be worth a little higher utility bills, although I am still not convinced they would be overall that much higher. I guess I am lacking in common sense.

In addition to the recreational time the summer provides, I would throw out that finding child care for 2 week periods is much more difficult than for an extended period during the summer.

There would be no more summer school for students who are behind to catch back up.

Teachers who make very little can get a summer job, but a two week job would be tough to find.

Two weeks off would have kids "relearning" everything for the first week they are back in school. The more breaks, the less continuity.

 

I am simply presenting the other side of the argument. I can see it both ways and I'm not sure which way is best.

 

There is definitly a strong argument to keep it the way it is now.

Would your mom lose her job if she did not get her masters? Teachers do. In fact, they have to have half of it within the first 5 years or they lose their teaching certificate. All of it within 10 years.

 

But on a pace to get it within ten years means that schools will be short of principals, counselors and the like that require ANOTHER 30 hours OVER their masters degree in most cases.

 

In addition, teacher's meetings after school, parent/teacher conferences, PD's, department meetings, coaches, all puts a bring ole monkey wrench in doing those things after school.

 

Myself, coaching, soccer, basketball and softball when I was younger gave me no time to attend classes after school during the school year. I was in practice or at a game.

 

I finished my 30 hours up over 4 summers when I had the time to do it and wasn't in practice or games.

 

I will say that the Internet has made it a lot more easier to attain your masters/rank I/administration degrees than it did in the past when you had to drive an hour or two somewhere to take a class.

No, mom would lose her job but that has absolutely nothing to do with this. The fact that teachers have 10 years to get their masters weakens your argument even more.

Of course it will cost a little more but to act like those buildings are empty is silly. And if it means the quality of education increases wouldn't it be worth a little higher utility bills, although I am still not convinced they would be overall that much higher. I guess I am lacking in common sense.

 

So, you think it takes the same amount of money to cool a building with 50 bodies in it compared to 1500 bodies in it? It is a big difference.

 

At a time that districts are cutting teachers because of budget cuts, you want to increase their utility bills?

 

And you might not want to believe it but in our district, at 7:00 PM in the winter the heat goes way down because no one is in the building. On weekends, it is cold in our building. At middle school basketball games this winter, parents were complaining how cold it was in the gym because they had lowered the heat at night.

 

During the summer, it is just the opposite. They do not run the cooling system nearly like they will come August and students are back.

 

Districts are looking at everything to save money including turning/lowering utilties at times there are not major groups of people in the building.

I am telling you, you guys need to look here and you will find this very interesting.

 

http://www.webster.kyschools.us/

 

http://www.webster.kyschools.us/4DayWeekReport/tabid/848/Default.aspx

The summer school for students to catch up is not a good argument IMO.

 

If you had 9 weeks in school and 2 weeks out, the first week would be spent in a catchup mode for those students who had failed the first quarter. They would spend that first week of everyone else being on break at school redoing the work they failed or did not complete.

 

You would have immediate time to make up the work that they didn't have instead of failing stuff in September and the redoing it in June.

 

With this system, than, in theory, they would be better prepared for the 2nd quarter since they redid/passed their 1st quarter work.

I'm not going to pretend to have any clue what you are talking about for the most part, but I am telling you that if schools started when kids were 3 going on 4 and they were taught how to read the reading situation would be a lot better. There are studies showing that most of the brain develops by the age of 5. Kids pick up the language part well before 5. They need to be taught how to read. The parents are responsible now and that's fine, but the info needs to be there for them and I feel bad for kids who's parents would have the info and not care. Therefore, and it would be expensive, public schools should start at younger ages.

 

Are you saying parents are responsible for teaching reading or responsible for getting them ready to eventually to go to school? It is parents responsibilty to get them ready for school. It is not the schools responsibilty. Parents need to step up and assume their duties as parents.

So, you think it takes the same amount of money to cool a building with 50 bodies in it compared to 1500 bodies in it? It is a big difference.

 

At a time that districts are cutting teachers because of budget cuts, you want to increase their utility bills?

 

And you might not want to believe it but in our district, at 7:00 PM in the winter the heat goes way down because no one is in the building. On weekends, it is cold in our building. At middle school basketball games this winter, parents were complaining how cold it was in the gym because they had lowered the heat at night.

 

During the summer, it is just the opposite. They do not run the cooling system nearly like they will come August and students are back.

 

Districts are looking at everything to save money including turning/lowering utilties at times there are not major groups of people in the building.

 

God bless our custodians, who work in the heat all during the summer. Our air conditioning is off most of the summer.

 

In the winter, when I go in to work on Sundays (usually from about 5 pm to about 11 pm), there is no heat. I do use a very small space heater and wear layers of clothing. Why not work from home? I don't have a chemistry lab here, nor do I have a xerox machine. So, I make do. The heat comes on at 7 am. It goes off at 4 pm. Same for air conditioning.

God bless our custodians, who work in the heat all during the summer. Our air conditioning is off most of the summer.

 

In the winter, when I go in to work on Sundays (usually from about 5 pm to about 11 pm), there is no heat. I do use a very small space heater and wear layers of clothing. Why not work from home? I don't have a chemistry lab here, nor do I have a xerox machine. So, I make do. The heat comes on at 7 am. It goes off at 4 pm. Same for air conditioning.

 

It won't go off at 4 pm because water pipes will freeze but it goes way down where it feels like it is off but the water won't freeze.

 

I have one of those ILLEGAL heaters under my desk too.

 

It was so cold in my room on Monday mornings this past winter, I put a thermometer and small cup of water on the windowsill INSIDE my windows. The thermoter read 52 degrees when I got to class and the water about 2 inches of it was frozen.