I brought a backpack of papers home to grade and actually got through most of them, albiet during breaks at my daughter's gymnastics competition.
President Obama wants to extend the instructional day. From my point-of-view, that's going to be additional preparation time outside of student contact hours. I wonder if I'll ever see my family! From a student's point-of-view, it's an inappropriate amount of time to be in a single institution! I understand that children need to be accountable for their time, but some of that needs to come from the families.
What works? After school programs have shown great success in improving school attendance and achievement, but that is different than what happens during an instructional day.
Before we jump on this idea, let's re-look at what pieces fit the puzzle that make a child and design a system around that. Children need fresh air, activity, organized sports and free play. Sure, we can fill their brains with knowledge, but without an affective component to their development, we're merely creating a generation that will mature into adults who will face depression and other issues. If we ignore physical development, we're asking for health and obesity issues later. Without aestheticism and art development, will our children learn to value beauty?
Go spend a day in a classroom somewhere. Watch not the teacher, but the students. Pay attention to when they light up for that is what they naturally crave.
President Obama wants to extend the instructional day. From my point-of-view, that's going to be additional preparation time outside of student contact hours. I wonder if I'll ever see my family! From a student's point-of-view, it's an inappropriate amount of time to be in a single institution! I understand that children need to be accountable for their time, but some of that needs to come from the families.
What works? After school programs have shown great success in improving school attendance and achievement, but that is different than what happens during an instructional day.
Before we jump on this idea, let's re-look at what pieces fit the puzzle that make a child and design a system around that. Children need fresh air, activity, organized sports and free play. Sure, we can fill their brains with knowledge, but without an affective component to their development, we're merely creating a generation that will mature into adults who will face depression and other issues. If we ignore physical development, we're asking for health and obesity issues later. Without aestheticism and art development, will our children learn to value beauty?
Go spend a day in a classroom somewhere. Watch not the teacher, but the students. Pay attention to when they light up for that is what they naturally crave.
