Obama to Lengthen School Years!

[agentnnc]

I think it's a good idea. I know this is US only but over here with the "reform", the books that the government is forcing down our throats are nearly impossible to cover in the allotted time in some subjects (like history, we never got to the last two chapters and we were all F***ed when the exam rolled along).

This year, I've been spending many late nights getting ahead to make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[NoEffex]

Who gives a fuck? That's my opinion.

That's not the point.

That's a personal problem though. If you need study hall to study then you need to motivate yourself more. Logically, it makes no sense to keep it.

The naptime does help(that's what I use it for, lol), but not necessary.

I think it's a good idea. I know this is US only but over here with the "reform", the books that the government is forcing down our throats are nearly impossible to cover in the allotted time in some subjects (like history, we never got to the last two chapters and we were all F***ed when the exam rolled along).

This year, I've been spending many late nights getting ahead to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I agree that they can barely cover it, but that's because of No Child Left Behind. Don't try and fix what's not broken, which is the time, try and fix the problem, which is NCLB. Parents essentially teach teachers to teach...lolwut?

If they can teach how they want rather than some person who doesn't know the subject decide, then they can cover it just fine.

 

[Robby]

They shouldn't lengthen school years, enough time is already wasted as it is. Eliminate lunch and study hall, then let kids get out earlier, and let them eat in class. So much time is wasted doing nothing at all in school which leads to nothing but a longer day.

I like this idea.
When we had minimum days, we would go to school at 8am, have 2 classes of solid learning then leave at 12:20 and me and friends could go to eat.

 

[Scorned]

I, Pesonally, am con, i believe that lengthening the school year would create a mountain effect (that never falls back down) of teen pregnencies. If you have a longer school year, there is more of a chance for teens to get "lonely" and want to be more "sexually active".

I disagree with this point.

First of all: The kids that would usually fall into the category of "teen pregnancies" don't give much thought to school for the most part (there are many exceptions), so It wouldn't matter to them whether or not it was longer.

Second, lonely? Thats actually quite the opposite. Unless you have no friends whatsoever, school would be the least likely place you'd be "lonely", and if you have no friends, you wouldn't be having sex.

Third, the reason teens want to be more "sexually active", isn't because they feel lonely, their hormones are acting up son. But seeing as you obviously didn't take that into account, maybe this extended school would be better for you?

 

[Zx30]

Lengthening school hours/days isn't going to solve shit.
Just piss people off.
It's going to probably increase drop out rates to be honest.

Some kids are barely hanging in there thinking that school is bullshit.
Imagine when they hear longer hours?
Then'll say "fuck it" and forget about it.

 

[x3sphere]

Personally, I think there should be more short breaks. Get rid of summer break, or at severely shorten it. Back when I was in grade school, I forgot a ton of material after the summer because it was nearly a 3 month break. You just don't remember things like trig formulas and such after that long. Refreshing up on all that is a bitch.

Also we didn't have study hall in high school. Middle school yes but not high school, so if you have it consider yourself lucky.

 

[NoEffex]

Personally, I think there should be more short breaks. Get rid of summer break, or at severely shorten it. Back when I was in grade school, I forgot a ton of material after the summer because it was nearly a 3 month break. You just don't remember things like trig formulas and such after that long. Refreshing up on all that is a bitch.

Also we didn't have study hall in high school. Middle school yes but not high school, so if you have it consider yourself lucky.

We can't because there is simply no funding, and if they continue cutting budgets teachers will be forced to quit because it simply won't provide for their families. That's happened already to about 20 out of about..not sure..teachers at my school, and it's rediculous that they think they can continue increasing spending when there is no money to spend.

 

[Zero]

Personally, I couldn't give a shit as;

1. I live in the UK.
2. I'm in my last year anyway.

I'm in the same boat (Except i'm in Australia). Today literally IS my last day

Anyway, if the government were to genuinely feel that longer years are necessary, there would be appropriate reasoning, no? In the end, you only benefit more by learning more. Maybe lengthening the year is extreme, but if change is needed, it should come.

We down here have 11-10 week terms, 5 days a week, 4 terms a year. School days are 6.5 hrs, with a 60 min break (40 min lunch + 20 min recess) and an expected 3 hours of study each night. We do have school in the summer, and no air conditioning at all. And summer reaches 35-40 C during the day. So that's my perspective.

 

[NoEffex]

I'm in the same boat (Except i'm in Australia). Today literally IS my last day

Anyway, if the government were to genuinely feel that longer years are necessary, there would be appropriate reasoning, no? In the end, you only benefit more by learning more. Maybe lengthening the year is extreme, but if change is needed, it should come.

We down here have 11-10 week terms, 5 days a week, 4 terms a year. School days are 6.5 hrs, with a 60 min break (40 min lunch + 20 min recess) and an expected 3 hours of study each night. We do have school in the summer, and no air conditioning at all. And summer reaches 35-40 C during the day. So that's my perspective.

No, we can't learn more if there aren't adequate teachers, and with lack of funding, all sorts of programs and teachers get cut like an emo kids wrist.

 

[Craig Fairfax]

If he's going to lengthen the years (something I do not agree with) then he need to shorten the amount of years. I feel as important as education is, it does not take 12 grade years (in my case 11) to learn the stuff they teach. You're supposed to feel like you've learned something, not feel like you're running the gauntlet. Halfway through HS I already became disenchanted, and by the end I felt like I just completed a test of endurance. The sense of accomplishment wasn't there, just enthusiasm to get my glorified piece of paper and go the fuck home.

 

[Zero]

No, we can't learn more if there aren't adequate teachers, and with lack of funding, all sorts of programs and teachers get cut like an emo kids wrist.

In that case, the Obama administration should focus on funding first. Decent teachers can do way more than long hours.

If he's going to lengthen the years (something I do not agree with) then he need to shorten the amount of years. I feel as important as education is, it does not take 12 grade years (in my case 11) to learn the stuff they teach. You're supposed to feel like you've learned something, not feel like you're running the gauntlet. Halfway through HS I already became disenchanted, and by the end I felt like I just completed a test of endurance. The sense of accomplishment wasn't there, just enthusiasm to get my glorified piece of paper and go the fuck home.

Building on this here too,

I think choice also plays a role. Here, 1-10 is compulsory (Your 'School Certificate'), and 11 & 12 are optional* (The 'Higher School Certificate'). That choice to continue was what motivated us. We chose to be here, and we worked for it. People that didn't like it left. Few people did.

*: They recently changed it, now 11 & 12 is compulsory. takes place in a couple of years, but my point still stands.

 

[Hellcat]

Scrap hollidays/vacation/time-not-being-in-school completely.

Free time is way overrated

 

[Joey]

While I have no problem with the idea of making kids go to school more (more hours a day, more days a year), it would be a logistical nightmare.

 

[CASHMON3Y]

Majorly against it. I wrote a paper once on the amount of time spent in school, the total number of hours was pretty ridiculous as it is (K-12) and I feel that most people dont gain very much from a typical school anyway, its all forgotten. If anything we need to drop a year and send kids off to college early. This is however much different depending on the school, CFE schools are VERY much different in a positive way and can be used longer without an issue (career focused education). Also my schools doesnt have AC either and Abe has a point, we are already cutting jobs there, we cant outfit the building.

 

[El Diablo]

If anything school days need to be shortened. Forcing kids to go to school for 7 hours, then get out and go to a job, and then have to do hours of homework is just stupid. When I was in high school, out of our 7 periods I had 3 off and despite that, I couldn't leave the school or do anything, I had to sit in a room and do nothing. It's a terribly inefficient use of time, they need to stop treating schools like jails.

While I see why they would get rid of summer break, and do agree with it (providing they add in other breaks through the year to even it out), it just wouldn't work. Come June my old schools became ridiculously hot and stuffy, to the point where no one could concentrate on work or do anything. Only my high school had air conditioning, and they would refuse to turn it on even for the last month of school because they said it was too expensive. There is no way kids can be expected to work for months in those conditions, and if they did try and add AC to all schools, it would just be way too expensive.

 

[CASHMON3Y]

If anything school days need to be shortened. Forcing kids to go to school for 7 hours, then get out and go to a job, and then have to do hours of homework is just stupid. When I was in high school, out of our 7 periods I had 3 off and despite that, I couldn't leave the school or do anything, I had to sit in a room and do nothing. It's a terribly inefficient use of time, they need to stop treating schools like jails.

This. And to emphasize on the homework part, it seems like most teachers now are giving irrelevant assignments just because they feel like they need to give us something. I have a teacher now for a class called Money Matters, and we get 3-4 papers a night, on just bull shit. She teaches us straight from just lessons she prints offline and doesn't know any of it. So how are we supposed to learn from someone who doesn't even know what they're teaching? I'm just glad I was the last class in my district before they changed our requirements. The years after us now need 4 years of Math, English, Social Studies, and Science. Oh well, this is my last year so idc what they do.

 

[Zero]

...
CFE schools are VERY much different...

What exactly does CFE stand for?

 

[Cryox]

What exactly does CFE stand for?

....CFE schools are VERY much different in a positive way and can be used longer without an issue (career focused education)....

That looks about right

 

[Josey Wales]

They dont need longer school years, they just need better curriculum. Kids havent gotten stupid over night in the US, is the poor teaching abilities supported by shitty lessons. My last years of school were all just reading out of a textbook and then having a test on what I read - couldnt I have just dont that at home?

Lack of classroom activity creates school boredom creates lack of motivation creates a ton of a other problems, mostly being dropping out of school.

 

[Zero]

That looks about right

I totally did not see that... :blushing: