Moms what are your thoughts about this..

MissMarinaT

  California Governor Proposes Cutting Five Days From School Calendar. The Los Angeles Times (1/8, Mehta) reports that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) proposal "to shorten the school year by five days is" estimated to the state about $1.1 billion. State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said the proposal would be especially "devastating" for "'low-income students and students of color'...because affluent districts are more likely to be able to pay for the five days themselves while poorer districts will be forced to eliminate those teaching days." Many educators and parents also do not support the idea of eliminating instruction time. Teachers "say they barely have enough time to fit the state's academic standards into the existing 180-day calendar." Some parents, meanwhile, "said that it was an economic issue for them" because they would have to place their children in childcare for the eliminated five days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------   So ladies, how would you feel about a week less of school for you kids?   As a teacher I have mixed feelings.   

Just_Lisa

I don't like it, kids all ready have enough days off now.

princess_shelly

It is awful! ?The kids shouldn't be penalized! ?This is why Jacob will be going to private school.

Jenn09/04

This is my first year dealing with public school and it drives me crazy just how many non sense days they get off and how many shortened days they have. 5 days doesn't really seem like a lot, especially when so much money can be saved but when you add it to the amount of time the kids are already out of class though, it's just unacceptable!

 

 

MissMarinaT

Here is some food for thought...

The standards for learning are harder than they were when we were growing up.  Students are pushed to learn thing that they may not be ready for.  Because there is so much to do and learn, student don't really get the time they need to play.  Play is an essential form of learning and social interaction.  The benefits to play are greatly overlooked because Ca is trying to push more academics to compensate for it's low test scores.

So yes, it is terrible to take more days away from the students but students are suffering from "burn-out" and "over-load" at faster rates and younger ages than they did before. And most teacher teach everything needed for state testing before the test. Once testing is over, most classes just spend the last month or so review the concepts taught.

But like I said, I don't like the idea but I can't say that I would not enjoy the extra week of vacation.

Lisa Figueroa

the fact that my son has a "HOME ROOM" in the 3rd grade says it all. He sees his teacher for 1 class. The rest of the day is spent alternating classrooms with kids who scored similar on some standardized tests.

I loathe the public school system and all it's b.s shinanagains that goes along with it. Poor teachers.

 

2bWednDec

I believe if the quality is improved, the quantity could be reduced.  But I believe the quality can only be improved by parent participation.  Teachers seem to do a great job from my observation, but many parents lack what's needed when the child leaves the classroom.

2bWednDec

2bWednDec:

I believe if the quality is improved, the quantity could be reduced.  But I believe the quality can only be improved by parent participation.  Teachers seem to do a great job from my observation, but many parents lack what's needed when the child leaves the classroom.

 

Of course this varies greatly depending on the school district - I am speaking specifically of LAUSD

2bWednDec

2bWednDec:

I believe if the quality is improved, the quantity could be reduced.  But I believe the quality can only be improved by parent participation.  Teachers seem to do a great job from my observation, but many parents lack what's needed when the child leaves the classroom.

 

Of course this varies greatly depending on the school district - I am speaking specifically of LAUSD