Obama Proposes Longer School Day, Shorter Summer Vacation - Page 2

Mr. Haney · #21 09-28-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisy-dog

There are some people who believe we no longer need to memorize multiplication tables or learn long division since everyone has a cheap calculator.
In fact you don't even have to know how to read to work at McDonalds. The cash register has pictures of the burgers and fries etc.

I'm not one of them. I just believe understanding how mathematics works is more important than simply memorization especially when one enters the workforce and needs to apply those skills to their job.

I did not get good grades in school because I had a hard time with concentrating when doing it seemed endless exercises. When I started working and actually applied my knowledge of math to my work situation I found because I have a very good understanding of 2 + 2 I'm a whiz.

On all of the certification exams I've taken the math problems were all gimmes.

Kamma70 · #22 09-28-2009, 06:43 PM

Ohh Mr. Haney, I am a math idiot. I can add and subtract, but 2x2 and 2/2 is lost on me. I can do fractions, decimals etc, etc... Hubby always says it was the education I received, but I really am a math idiot. I always feel like a jerk when my kids ask for help with their homework, I can't help them as I never got it myself.
But...I worked cash registers for 15 yrs and never had a problem giving change by head. I was surprised at the number of people that have to punch in the amount and hit change....That is the most basic math there is.
I think like I said before, up the quality of the education, make the teachers teach [not saying there are not teachers out there that truly teach] instead of letting the kids slide. No child left behind is bull, if the kid doesn't do well in school, FAIL them...we have kids in our high school that they call "cross over" kids, they have classes in 2-3 grades.
Example: kid in 9th grade fails 2 classes, instead of going to summer school for them, in 10th grade kid is in 5 - 10th grade classes and 2 - 9th grade classes. but what grade is the kid in technically? can the kid participate in activities in both grades, nope....

When we were in school if you failed and could go to summer school, thats what you did. If you failed too many, you got held back!

Summerrain · #23 09-29-2009, 09:01 AM

Don't want to hurt their little feelings, Kamma - can't hold them back.

I was the first to tell my in-laws to hold my nephew back when he didn't make the grade... He "didn't want to go to summer school".... So, he repeated. Yet, no one sits with him when he is doing homework, or even bothers asking if he has any most times.

It is the PARENTS responsibility to make sure that their child is learning and keeping up!

Green Lantern · #24 09-29-2009, 10:33 AM

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...critics-claim/

Quote:

Critics say the president's call for a longer academic calendar and a shorter summer vacation will bring on a host of unintended consequences -- including increased costs for school systems, major cuts to the nation's hotel and tourism industries, and a serious blow to summer camp operators.

Quote:

critics say a curtailed summer vacation will have a dire economic impact on school systems, which could be forced to retrofit their schools for air conditioning, pay overtime to teachers and incur higher utility costs.

Quote:

In one popular East Coast resort area alone -- the New Jersey shore -- the average cost of a rental home is $1,500 to $2,000 a week, according to realtors. In the tourist town of Wildwood, N.J., approximately 7 million visitors flood the boardwalks, beaches, and restaurants from mid-June to September, spending over $185 million on hotels and prepared food and beverages alone, according to John Siciliano, executive director of the Wildwood Tourism Authority.
Siciliano said that figure does not include dollars spent in stores, on the resort's boardwalk and on its amusement rides, which he said could triple the $185 million -- totaling a whopping $555 million.
If the prime weeks of summer vacation are cut in half because kids have to stay in school, the effects on the industry could be devastating, critics said.

Basically, this is everything I said yesterday.

dond · #25 09-29-2009, 11:28 AM

Year Round education has been discussed fpr many years Here is an About.com article
http://712educators.about.com/cs/ref...earrounded.htm
and a website that is in support of Year Round schooling
National Association For Year-Round Education http://www.nayre.org/
Don't forget a lot of people aren't crazy about home schooling.

Altoona Man · #26 09-30-2009, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buba

You are correct sir.

I think our educational should have at least a test to graduate.
Nothing real hard but basic info.

True, you have kids graduating today who need a calculator to do basic second grade math problems that people used to be able to do in their head all the time. Kids graduating should be able to demonstrate the knowledge of math, grammar, vocabulary, logic, and reasoning to succeed in the real world.

Altoona Man · #27 09-30-2009, 01:13 PM

Here's my take. Longer school days and school years will be ineffective, but will just be a bigger drain on taxpayers. Kids usually spend most of May and whatever part of June they're in school just sitting in class and talking all day with no real assignments given. I'm still young enough to be able to remember that the last few weeks of school were mostly goof off time. Instead, just keep the school days as they are, but instead of making the first week and the last month nothing but sitting around and talking with friends, teach the kids, and review over stuff they didn't seem to grasp. Maybe give them an extra test at the end of the year right before the final that covers stuff the majority of students struggled with so it reinforces it in their heads. And move the finals ahead from late May until early June, make the last two half days into full days. And more importantly, restore order in classrooms so that kids aren't constantly talking, throwing paper airplanes, or doing even worse. The new crop freshmen at Penn State start prattering every chance they get, rather than taking notes in class. When I was a freshman at Penn State, all levels, even freshmen, knew to sit, listen intently to the lectures (however boring they may be) and take notes, because that would be on the test. Maybe my mindset is outdated on this, but kids in the 60s and before did just fine with 3 months of summer vacation. There's no reason they can't today. Or maybe today's generation is actually fundamentally different from MTV warping their brains, I dunno.

Bellatrix · #28 10-09-2009, 05:47 AM

I work in a school system that has a "year round" system but the students are still only going to school 180 days. The difference is they go for 9 weeks and then get 3 weeks off throughout the year. I really like this schedule. They retain more and the break comes right when you start to feel that burn out that happens from being in school for months at a time. It does cost more with buses running all year and basic utilities, but we can fit an extra 1/4 of the capacity into the school because of the schedule and therefore do not need to build schools as fast as before.

Summerrain · #29 10-09-2009, 07:16 AM

So is it like a rotation? Some kids are out when others are in? That sounds like it would give more one on one time. Not a bad program.

(Oh! Hi, Bellatrix!)

nicle · #30 10-09-2009, 08:36 AM

My son is grown but my niece (8th grade) comes home and has alot of homework. Last night Algebra alone took her 2 hrs with the amount of problems they had to do...(and she loves Algebra) along with studying for tests today and other work she really had no night. My Sis said she was grouchy and exhausted by bedtime. There should be balance, time to play and time to work in everyones life everyday!

Now if kids have that much homework will that be gone? I feel quality not quantity of the school should be achieved.

Maybe we should start testing teachers on tests like SAT's but something grading what and how they teach? Now I am not sure if there is anything in place like that now (just throwing it out there) but i can attest I have had role model teachers who got their point across and had dynamic lesson plans.

Bellatrix · #31 10-09-2009, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Summerrain

So is it like a rotation? Some kids are out when others are in? That sounds like it would give more one on one time. Not a bad program.

(Oh! Hi, Bellatrix!)

Hi!! Yes it is a rotation - like singing row, row, row your boat in a round!!! But it is not more one on one time because we still have full class sizes.

daisy-dog · #32 10-09-2009, 01:53 PM

So you work twelve months a year Bellatrix?

Bellatrix · #33 10-09-2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisy-dog

So you work twelve months a year Bellatrix?

No. I work 9 1/2 ish weeks and off 2 1/2ish weeks on a rotating basis.