More school: Obama would curtail summer vacation

I think more school for American kids is necessary at this point. Our kids are falling terribly behind other nations when it comes to getting a good education. How will they be expected to compete in a global economy when they aren't getting the same or better educations?

Really stop and take a look at how many days a year your kids are in school by the time you add up all of the three day weekends for holidays and all of the three day weekends and half days for teachers in service days, then there's all the breaks they get through the year - check it out, I think it may surprise you how many days they really average going to school per week.


Whatever happened to USA we're number one? Our children deserve the best and if it means a shorter summer break of sitting on their butts playing video games and watching TV so be it.

edit to add S&F

[edit on 27-9-2009 by Sundancer]

Interesting idea, if you look at child development and learning ability - children are able to learn more easily and take more on board in their earlier years, certainly when compared with adults.

en.wikipedia.org...

en.wikibooks.org...

Theoretically I think it's a great idea - THEORETICALLY.
Proposals I would make to this:

1) Longer school day - lessons 9 - 3, 3 - 6 of some sort of group/sports/play activities OR the child could do private study/homework at their choice.

2) Shorter summer holiday, I used to love summer holidays as a kid, but by the end of 3 months, I was usually getting bored and finding trouble. 2 months would be totally feasible and manageable for parents.

3) Schools to run "activity camps" over the summer - the buildings are there anyway.

We have a responsibility to our children, to give them the best possible - I don't understand how anyone wouldn't want them to have more learning.

I say all this with the proviso of decent education being provided in the first place.

reply to post by Jomina


I agree, it has to begin with better teaching techniques. From what I recall school was just teaching how to memorize. Most classes were beyond boring, never engaging the student. You would occasionally get that one teacher who would think outside of the box and really get you thinking.

I remember my grandma used to say, when I was growing up, that in America, we have too many breaks and free days, therefore that was the reason that America's school system was slipping. I guess I just accepted that because I had never actually lived in another country to compare the schools.

Fast forward to now. I live in Germany which has a "better" education system than America. These kids never go to school! It's really amazing to me.

A student's entire school day normally ends before noon and starts at eight. If you're going for the highest high school diploma, you may have to go to school until two, and if that's the case, it's a really bad thing. [I remember in high school we always got out at two, in middle school 3:30!] The summer break is just as long as in America, eight weeks or so. About a month and a half after school starts, so in the next few weeks, the students get a two week fall break. [This was unheard of to me until I attended a college in Hungary.] At Christmas, the students get a month break, I believe. [When I was growing up, we got a week an a half.] Then, there is a two or three week Spring break. [It was one week for us.] Then, naturally, there are the random days off here and there.

The problem with the US education system, in my opinion, isn't that the time spent in school is too little. Rather, too many of the schools have too many teachers teaching that don't want to be there. I remember having teachers that I was certain hated kids. Then there are teachers that simply can't teach. Rather then forcing the American student to spend more wasted hours in a school with teachers that can't teach and don't want to (shouldn't) be there, we need to get teachers that can and want to teach and are able to get kids to want to learn.

I don’t think this is a bad idea, providing that there is some quality teaching going on during this time.
This could allow for a college level education in the 12 years of our current system.
I don’t think they need more hours in school, just more days.
Are we forgetting that the original idea of summer vacation was so that the kids could help with planting crops on the farm? It was never intended to be a fun time. All those summer programs were the keep them busy and out of trouble.

Why exactly do “kids have to be kids”. That is a new idea and a bad idea It is part of the problem of today‘s youths. They take a very long time to become adults these days. They get the idea that they want to be kids forever. In times recently past kids helped out with the household and farming work as soon as they could walk, and they were stronger people for it.

I believe that most students at this time could finish those 12 years worth of “education” in 8 years.
And since the education system provides money for 12 years, most students could at the 12 year mark be coming away with a Batchelor’s Degree and the usual College attendance would now be for the Higher degrees.

Maybe the Universities are for profit corps and would not like that? Too bad! What’s more important their profit or our people’s education?

As to the school’s being a “safe :place” for the kids……well, Mommy and Daddy are working until 5 or 6 o’clock and the kid get out of school at 3.…..so…

reply to post by Solarskye


Ask your self this: If you kid is in school all year long and has to do homework after getting home at 5:pm WHO has the most influence on your child? You or the Government?

Hint it is not YOU




edit
Oh yes and WHEN are our couch potato kids going to get the exercise they need to grow big and strong???



[edit on 27-9-2009 by crimvelvet]

Originally posted by Sundancer
I think more school for American kids is necessary at this point. How will they be expected to compete in a global economy when they aren't getting the same or better educations?


[edit on 27-9-2009 by Sundancer]

It's funny but the fact is that our education system has gotten worse and worse every time the government has put their manipulating hands into it.

We spend more money for poorer results than any other nation on earth. Now we are going to add even more of the most unproductive education in the world?

We used to have even less hours for school for k-12 than now and the grades were better and kids graduated knowing more and being more able to deal with the real world.

Seems to me that even MORE government meddling in education will reduce the quality of the results even more.

Our education system is a bad joke and the rest of the world laughs at us for it. They've all got to be squirting milk out of their noses over this one.

We know that you can't fix stupid but the rest of the world knows that America teaches stupid better than anybody.

Well...when I saw that video of the kids singing praise to Obama, I thought they were a little off key. They COULD really use some extra practice.

Year-round school isn't anything new in a lot of communities. I think it really has its benefits.

A public statement like this does raise a couple questions for me though...probably because I'm a product of public education.

Did Obama go to school here? Any? Was it some fancy private school that lasted all day or something? What about Pelosi? Clinton? Biden?

Amongst these leaders of the free world (cough) are any products of the system of education that we recognize today? Did it work for them? Ok, yeah, never mind. We better get our kids in school more.

Maybe we should just make them all boarding schools and we could poop out our babies and drop them right into the state's hands. That would save us all that trouble of getting attached to them and make it easier for us when it's time to send them off to die so a shareholder can make a thirteen cent dividend on smart bomb stocks.

Recess, ever heard of it? The school I went to years ago no longer has a playground. It is now a parking lot. There is no more recess for any one there. From what I understand most schools now do not have recess. They killed recess and now want to kill the summer vacation as well. I feel sorry for school kids now days.

I think Obama is right.

I don't think the school day should be lengthened by hours, but each class should take about 50-55 minutes rather than 30-35 minutes as many do now. As it is, the students take a few minutes just to settle down and then the teacher has to do a quick review of what has been covered so far. By that time, there's only about 10-15 minutes left for new learning. If the class period was lengthened then maybe there would be 25-30 minutes of real instruction.

Many of the people who are responding here are the kind of parents who get involved in their children's education and give them additional time and learning experiences and etc. These children are already motivated and probably doing well in school.

But if you're thinking about raising the educational level for ALL students, then you have to consider the needs of children who maybe don't have a safe place to go to after school is out, or parents who don't have the time or resources to tutor them or motivate them to further learning.

I'm not saying that the students who are already doing well should suffer for the ones who are not. But there should be resources for those who need additional time and effort that is not stigmatized, like summer school is now (everybody knows summer school is for "dummies"). There should also be rewards for achievement at all levels.

And overall, there is no harm in raising standards for all students. When more is expected more is accomplished. To a reasonable extent, of course. IMO Obama is what they call a "super achiever," as a person would pretty much have to be to become POTUS. I don't think it's necessary for every child to go that far.


[edit on 27-9-2009 by Sestias]

We already have "Year Around" schools in our community as well as "Normal Schools". We are behind the rest of the world in education and it certainly cannot hurt kids to be in school a little more. As for those High Achieving kids...they can be more than just high achievers and take more advanced courses. We need to return to the days when our children were taught and learned instead of memorizing test anwsers so the school districts can collect more money to spend on sports programs. Nothing wrong with sports but our schools spend more money on sports than books. I live in the south and it can be hot year around but there are schools with no air conditioning but there are football ball stadiums that rival some NFL stadiums. School buses that can be 120 degress at the beginning of the school year but no AC. We have indoor basketball courts that are heated and with AC but roofs are falling down in the classroom and students are forced into temp buildings. The bottom line is that education should be important to parents and children alike, its how we pay for fun as adults because we have better jobs with more education.

reply to post by fixer1967


I think recess is important - kids are bundles of energy and sitting down all day they'll need to burn some of it off to concentrate well.

I think though that a shorter summer break would be better, kids are full of potential I'm sure they'd be more than capable of learning an extra language before they were pre-teen would be totally possible.

Of course it all hinges on adequate teaching.

Originally posted by Jomina
... the asian schools they are trying to be competitive with, do not spend more time per DAY in school, but only 12-20 days more in school...

Yes, the article states that American students already spend MORE HOURS in school.

A family member who teaches sent me a copy of the dvd, 2 Million Minutes. An eyeopener on the differences between American, Chinese, and Indian top students. In those cultures, even the top students are motivated by their parents, by their culture, to become better...an A is not good enough. It is the parents and culture that demand more, not leaving that responsibility solely to schools.

So why should students spend more days in school continuing to perform at the same motivational level?

Decades ago, when Calif moved their drop out age up to 18, it seemed more as an effort to keep more teens out of the full time employment pool. The same might be said for today's efforts to keep young people in college for years.

Having schools stay open longer as child care centers is a more honest proposition than to mask it as an educational need. Students already have more educational hours.

This is the crux...

Originally posted by mikerussellus
reply to post by crw2006

 

On the one hand, I agree with Obama. (that actually IS one of the signs of the apocalyspe) We need to refocus on education. More school would be a good thing.

On the other hand. . . . who would pay for it? Higher taxes? What other classroom agendas would there be? Would partisan politics be part of this brave new classroom?

Speaking as a former teacher, the US education system is a shambles. US is [in most cases] not able to compete on a global level, but let's leave that aside and focus on state/community levels. The budgets for Education [and Mental Health] take a beating every fiscal year and are typically the first to be slashed. The current economic recession/ depression has made that even more apparent. School districts across the country are laying off staff at record numbers [or not hiring the staff they need] and the result is sub-standard education by defacto. Large class size, limited academics, inability to meet student needs at the high and low ends... mediocrity is tolerated because that is all that can be given the resources.

So, while I agree that the US education system needs a hard look and a massive overhaul, until it becomes a priority... my question is: Where are the funds going to come from?

For those who are worried about year-round school or extended after hours, I would say that unless you city budget accounts for this, you won't see it anytime soon.

[edit on 27-9-2009 by LadySkadi]

Originally posted by SonicInfinity
Don't forget the millions of teachers who love their summer breaks. They will fight to their last breath to prevent this from happening.

Maybe this is a good thing considering they will turn on him after being among his biggest supporters.

Is Obama really this dumb that he just goes around and alienates every support base he has? Pretty soon even his own people (the Blacks) will hate his guts. If he runs again the Republican candidate will win be default in a huge landslide.

Less time for parental involvement, more time for the government to shape and mold the minds of the future.

Sounds like a great plan.

Seriously, I believe that quality over quantity is where the push should be.

Until you improve the quality of the education you provide today's children it really doesn't matter how long you keep them in school.

Keep them 365 days per year if you like, test the theory... They wont be any smarter.

You don't have teachers in most cases anymore, they are simply glorified zoo keepers.. And they don't do that very well either.

You can shove more crap into these kids heads if they are in school longer, but in the end its still just crap.

I see no problem with this - modified a bit: same school day hours, but year around school with mini breaks.

I live in a school district (one of the top in the state of Colorado) where the public schools here have "year around" school. They go to school all year long - and have mini summer/spring/fall/winter breaks instead of one long summer break. The day hours remain the same.

Also the charter schools here (some of the best in the country) operate on modified schedules too. Same day hours, but longer session thruout the year.

Im not for the longer school days, but I am for the year around schedule. Kids seem to learn more and do not forget things during summer time. Also, you dont have bored kids all summer nor parents struggling to find care for their kids so they can work.


[edit on September 27th 2009 by greeneyedleo]

Originally posted by SonicInfinity
Don't forget the millions of teachers who love their summer breaks. They will fight to their last breath to prevent this from happening.

I agree with you.

But I agree with OBama too.

the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom."

Oddly this turns out to be completely false. I forget exactly where, but it is the Netherlands, Norway or Sweden, somewhere like that. But their kids join school later, and spend less time in school, and outperform most of the rest of the world academically.

Who knows what the reason for this is. Perhaps it has something to do with brainwashing kids into thinking time spent in institutions is more important than actual education. The vast cost of getting educated in the US might support this theory, since it's such a huge moneymaker, it would be bad for business if kids could become better educated by spending less time in school and less cash on schooling.

[edit on 27-9-2009 by Lazyninja]

Longer days mean more burn-out for kids who already have short attention spans. I don't mind them going year round with short vacations every quarter or so, but longer days is definitely just leading to more babysitting time for the teachers who already do a lot of that anyway.

This sounds to me like his solution to the problem of parents not paying attention to their kids and who are not raising them themselves. Sounds like his way to get troubled kids off the streets, and I don't believe the schools are the place for it.

We need more and better instruction for teachers (to teach them to teach) who don't get very much of it in college anymore. And, our school districts need to be prepared to get rid of the teachers who don't teach or teach poorly. Longer school days and years is not the way to solve a teacher and parent problem.

Not for it.

I_R