More school: Obama would curtail summer vacation

I'm in two minds about this.

I DEFINITELY DO NOT WANT SUMMER VACATION TO BE BANNED. Like wtf? I have memories of hanging out with friends, going to malls, catching the blockbusters, doing homework leisurely, going to the beach... This is stupid, to remove summer vacation.

AT THE SAME TIME...

I support the idea that schools should stay open later, and schools could provide alternative summer programs for those WHO WANT IT.

It would be like after-school activities, but in the summer. It would also be good, for people who do not want to "hang out", or have no place to go, that they can go to school during the break and improve their minds.

Allowing the schools to stay open later ensures those who do not have safe environments to live and study in do not get left out.

Plans like increasing class quality and duration, are of course good. Math is important, as do English and Economics classes, and tomorrow's children need to read, count, manage their money, be able to work in teams and understand how the world works.

However, I don't know about this "remedial program" that's happening in MA, because it seems to put a lot of pressure on children to excel (I lived in Singapore, I know how stress can make children go crazy). I think kids should be given the chance to ENJOY and LOVE school, and the subjects, and the whole process of learning.

On a whole, it doesn't sound bad. AMERICA needs a NEWER COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE already, and the only way we can get one is by improving the quality of our workforce.

But, for crying out loud, DO NOT REMOVE TERM BREAKS!

Who's with me?

This is back asswards.

We don't need Longer schooling, we need Better schooling. What's the point in making kids endure one of the world's worst education systems even longer? If nothing gets done now, then what's the point in making them suffer through long hours.

We all know how teachers are in the states. They are underpaid, and most are fed up about it, most go too far and too many take it out on their students. When they don't care, they no longer care about the quality of their teaching. I don't need to explain this further.

Our education sucks because the quality is piss. It's biased, it's near worthless and high school educations do not provide knowledge that is used in the real world.

Let me point out a successful model of schooling. I'm a teacher, I can do this. LOL


KIPP schools (Knowledge is Power Program) start early, end later, and work on every other Saturday. They're turnout is great - the kids are really college-prepped and tend to last in higher education - better than the mid -term great freshman dropout event.

They have a lot of kids who can't hack that program, the "I deserve my free time" crap. Nonsense. This argument about "a kid needs to be a kid" is a false binary. School doesn't stop your kids from being kids - school only shortened when it was standardized. We go to school an average of 180 days. Korea 225, Canada 190, and Japan 220. Of those four nations, two are expanding and growing their international standing in economic power. Not us, and not Canada.

There is a statistic correlation between future success and time spent in school.

The idea that we are shortchanging our kids is nothing more than us thinking that we are 'entitled' to something for nothing. Yes, I said that. Let me repeat it. Our kids are not entitled to anything - they have to go and earn it. Scions of wealth tend to be some of the snottiest kids I have ever met, and I've worked rich kid schools and poor kid schools. I prefer the poorer schools - the kids who achieve are so much more precious than those who merely maintain a status quo.

Our kids are not entitled to three months off. I would love a year round school for my kids - the time off they get is there, two weeks off every six, and they get continual education, not having to spend a month reteaching what was covered before summer break let out.

I support the idea. I like more education for my kids. I work hard at school to provide the best education I can. I get paid 3 months to sit on my butt and do nothing - I can earn my pay over the summer, too.

Maybe schools should get back to basics. Math, English, Science,History. Forget shop, home ec, etc etc etc. Till they reach 7th grade there should be no other elective courses. Fire all teachers who try the crap the teacher did teaching those little kids to sing praise of Obama. Imagine how much time she spent teaching them all to sing that song. Imagine how well they would have known their multiplication tables in that same amount of time. Imagine how many students she could have individually worked with on their reading skills in that time. This is what is wrong with our schools. Too much indoctrination.

reply to post by badgerprints

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

This is true, the system we have now isn't working. There's a joke that goes...
Q. What do you call a person who speaks numerous languages?
A. multilingual


Q. What do you call a person who speaks 2 languages?
A. bilingual


What do you call a person who speaks just 1 language?
A. American

I wanted my children to be multilingual and paid the price by sending them to private schools. I pay taxes. My children should have received the same education I paid for in private schools, in the public school system. We have to raise our expectations when it comes to our childrens education.

No child left behind lowered the requirements for the smarter kids to spend more time on the slower ones. I don't know who made the buck off of that one but it's failed our children miserably.

Originally posted by zarlaan

With today's technology generation the education system needs to evolve to realize that children today don't learn the same way previous generations did. The schools that have recognized this and changed their ways are the ones at the top of the game.

I think Zar has hit it on the head. Modern American Schools were designed to get the youth ready for employment in the manufacturing segement. That segment barely exists anymore, why are we still using system in our schools that were designed to produce that kind of worker?

We need to train for a new workforce that does their work in a vastly different manner than in previous generations. Just because we have always done it in a certain way doesn't mean that it makes sense now.

Other nations have had some successes with using different school schedules/calendars, it would be stupid of us to dismiss the idea of using them ourselves.

One of my sons went to a volunteer Summer School, open to any student at our Elementary School. They had about half the teachers run it and and it was a very sucessful program. He went Mon-Thur for about 3 hours day, and he even LIKED it! Our school is also having an afterschool Math course for students, again not just struggling students but those that excel as well.

I think it is worth investigating at the very least.

reply to post by MagoSA


Great post. It all comes down to providing our kids with the best chance to be successful in life.

When Japan is having almost 40 more days of education a year, it puts us at a disadvantage already. People will still have their holidays and time to just goof off, but we need to raise the bar.

With all the technology we have available, we could even do online interactive classes to get the results we desire. Joey could learn while he is at the cottage during the Summer. We just have to figure out how to teach more to our kids and quite frankly, expect more out of our kids.

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Sieg Heil says the President Gasbag!

My school district lost it's AAA rating several years back. I wouldn't be too thrilled about the idea of having kids spend more time in such an environment.

I have to be honest here. I think year round school with the summer break broken up into smaller but more frequent time off would benifit both students and parents.

Instead of a grind there woul dbe spaced brakes.

Parents woul dnot have to scramble for limited summer programs to keep thier kids occupied. I spent about 2000 US last year for my 6 year old just to keep him busy and we dont have child care issues at all.

Well when I was in school, (just last year, graduated '08) I had 7 seperate classes every day, and each of my teachers expected for us to be able to complete at least 1 hour worth of homework after the class, this resulted in nearly 14 hours of school work. When you add in sleep, you very rarely had time to do other things. This was not daily of course, but happened usually 2-3 days out of a week, and Friday was usually an exam.

I'll admit that not 100% of the teachers were like this, it seemed it was just the AP courses taken, but honestly, if you have a good teacher that extra time will not matter.

I also had a teacher that assigned homework and just let us complete it in class, other than giving lecture. I can honestly say, the only reason I learned a thing in the class is because I would read the text book on my own time.

Basicly, all I am saying is, time in class means nothing, the quality of the teacher and the attitude of the student are the only things that will make a difference in the long run. America seems to look down on people who study, other students harassing them, calling them nerds, losers, etc...

Test scores are a reflection of a teachers ability to teach, if students cannot retain the knowledge they recieve, then it is the teachers job to find an alternative way to introduce the topic. (this is of course only if the student is willing, and trying, to learn)

Originally posted by idle_rocker

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.

I_R

Exactly my feelings as well. He's trying to solve a social problem by having the schools become a place to keep your kid in extra hours, even on weekends, effectively turning teachers into babysitters or prison guards.

Thank goodness I got out of teaching long ago.

Kids don't need more time at social institutions! They need good old attention from mom and dad. They need parents who are interested in them and care about the work they are doing. They need parents that take the time to sit down with them and look over what they have done, giving help when needed and praise for the things done well. They need you to read stories with them, goof around with them, and go to the park with them. They need to know they are loved, cherished and wanted.

The real question is: how can we get parents to step up to the plate, stop boozing and getting high and acting like they are still in high school at 35 years old?

How can we expect a child to do well in school, care about education, when their main priority is staying out of drunk mama's way or she'll beat the crap out of them? More hours in school may take them away from their bad home situations a bit more, but they still have to go home sometime and live the rest of non-school time in survival mode.

I agree kids should have safe havens to go to. But is school to take the role of half-way house? I don't think teachers are trained for that.

I take it obama did NOT have a normal playful childhood, did he. Why would obama wanna make kids go to school? Its not like we have the best education system anymore. In fact, its downright shameful, our teachers today. Obama seems to like favoring making people do things..anyone see this?

Sad lil alex hit hte nail on the head!!! when iw as in school, i did my homework, but sometmies on a field trip, i was obnoxious, i admitt hat. My teacher would turn around, tellus to shut up, lok at us angry, and pay attetnion to the speaker. Didnt stop me from being obnoxious, nor did she show any desire, to break me form that habit, during school time.
In high school, god knows how many days i skipt calss nad they p[assed me, just to get us out. My high school ended as a high school the following year my graduation though. teachers let us get awya with murder practically! inf act, the ONLY teacher who ever cheked up on us, was the physical ED teacher..3 friends wouold go smoke weed, on a small racetrack, and ide go, to hang out not smoke. He'd come by, see if they were smoking, let em know he knows what they were doing, he could smell the smoke, ask what we were doing, and thraeten to knock points or grade off if we didnt at least do jog or something.
The rest of the teachers, more important stuff, didnt care.

This reminds me of loam's current thread on the Dead End Kids. It makes me worry that the powers that be know things aren't going to get better.

It's no secret that when a nation has a lot of angry unemployed youth that crime, radical politics, and revolutionary movements all experience a surge. In fact Stevin Levitt went so far as to suggest in his book Freakonomics that the 18th anniversary of Roe v Wade may have had more to do with the sudden end of rising crime levels in the early 90s than gun control did.

How better to avoid reaping the whirlwind of several million angry young men and women than to lock them in the conformity factory and then channel them into mandatory government service.

Afterall, truancy cops taking you in for ditching don't have nearly the shock value that we get from armed troops snatching protestors off the streets of Pittsburgh in unmarked cars.

edit for bb code error

[edit on Mon 28 Sep 2009 by The Vagabond]

Originally posted by crw2006
"The president, who has a sixth-grader and a third-grader, wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place to go."

I suppose that depends on which neighborhood your from

Its funny but it was the student vote that got him in...

Now I get to tell some local kids "I told you so!"

I took the whole thing about protection in school as being a mentor, you know like a big brother? We all had the one teacher we liked most, didn't we?

Besides, our curriculum isn't exactly the best. #, Zimbabwe has us beat on school, what does that say?

I would think the emphasis should be on teaching, spend the tax money instead on newer updated books, computers, teacher education and incentive.

If Obama wants the kids in school longer cut out all the long 3 day weekends, half days and some holidays. that pretty much would get us on the same school year as any other nations.

As others have said "Quality not Quantity" is what is going to take our children into the future. Of course if you only want to get our kids ready for the socialist police government which requires you to go to a certain place and remain there until they say otherwise; I guess this new plan would prepre the children for that.

^ Point taken. But then the books would need money to write, and we know how that goes. Bigger books would be another thing ignored by the schools overall. As said, America looks down on those who study, but they look to them to save them. You want everyone to be cool, and pop-culture educated and the rest thrown away. Is it any wonder why our finances suck?

Makes you realize why there's so much corruption sometimes.

TO HELL WITH HIM

Mt eldest Son is Principals list virtually every term.

WHY?

because I TEACH MY KIDS on my time...

I am sick and disgusted with everything in this country going to the ghetto and the LOSERS in life.

Taking me out of that ability by cutting holidays would DESTROY my children education.

It's not my fault these parents are morons and have nothing to share with their kids...

I'm also divorced, SUMMER IS MY TIME and It will never betaken from me and if it is I am going to do everything in my power to see this govt fail

Summers are everything to a kid.

and why the HELL do we have to compete with Japan or any other place that cares only about money.

This is more disgust OBAMA is doing more harm in one year then George Bush did in 8

Global ass kissing PUNK


LIKE ANYONE REALLY BELIEVES THAT THE KIDS WHO DON'T GIVE A DAMN ANYWAY WILL CARE MORE BECAUSE THEY TACK ON A MONTH

SCHOOL TAUGHT ME NOTHING YOU EITHER LIKE TO LEARN OR YOU DON'T YOU EITHER SPEND YOUR TIME WITH BOOKS AND THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL OR YOU SET FIRE TO CATS AFTER SCHOOL IT'S WHO YOU ARE AND SCHOOL WONT CHANGE THAT EVER.

I DON'T NEED MY LIFE MADE WORSE AND WORSE BECAUSE A BUNCH OF GHETTO AND WHITE TRASH FAMILIES IN THIS COUNTRY DON'T DO THEIR JOB AT HOME

THE PROBLEM ISN'T SCHOOL

IT'S PARENTS AND WHAT THEIR INTERESTS ARE

MY KIDS WILL SUFFER FROM THIS, THEY WILL LOOSE ME AND MOM AND WE ARE BOTH GOOD PEOPLE WHO ENCOURAGE AND LOVE OUR KIDS

LET THE DAMN IDIOTS GO DARWIN ON THEMSELVES AND LEAVE THE REST OF US ALONE.

STUPID GHETTO ACTIVIST ROBBING ME OF MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY KIDS BECAUSE HE SPENDS HIS TIME IN PLACES WHERE THERE ARE NO PARENTS AROUND.

I never thought I'd say these words...

I want Bush Back

This man needs to be IMPEACHED, he is a THREAT to the UNITED STATES of AMERICA

Lets now watch the DROPOUT Rate SOAR from 50% to 80% in 4 years

SCHOOL IS A NIGHTMARE IF YOUR SMART AND LIKE TO LEARN A NIGHTMARE... I'N SORRY BUT IT WAS FOR ME, IT SLOWED ME DOWN I USED TO CUT SCHOOL TO GO TO THE LIBRARY AND THAT WAS ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO, BECAUSE THE CATERING TO THE KIDS WHO ARE IMBECILES, IDIOTS, SPASTIC, VIOLENT EMOTIONALLY FRACTURED MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE AND DUMB...

MY KIDS CAN NEVER GO AT THEIR REAL PACE IF THEY GET THEIR OWN TIME TAKEN FROM THEM ....NEEEEEEEEVVVVVVER COME CLOSE...

THOSE DUMMIES READ, 1 CHAPTER A DAY THE OTHER KIDS ARE MARGINAL IT WILL RUIN THE BEST OF US...

URRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH

I am sick to my stomach

I am revolted

I am disgusted this president is a joker

I do not wish a life for my children like Obamas, i do not want them to be president, i want them to enjoy life and live and be FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

IMPEACH HIM NOW!!!!!!

BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE