A recent letter to the editor was complaining that students had missed six days during the school year (due to snow). The piece argued for year-round school and was entitled “Students Need More Education, Not Less”. My own take (submitted as a response in slightly different form) is as follows: (I have deleted the writer’s name).
On the surface, it’s hard to argue with much of what XXX says in his letter. Who would ever argue that students need less education?? And I actually agree with him 100% when he says “Public education seems to be struggling to survive. Throwing more money at the problem won’t fix it until there is agreement on what’s needed”.
So, let’s have a good, public discussion about “what’s needed”. Indeed, let’s join the discussion that’s already occurring. Let’s not use flawed logic by assuming that more (or less) time in school will fix (or hurt) the problem. Going to school more (or less) won’t make one more (or less) educated any more than going to church more (or less) will make one more religious (or a heathen). Most of us actually only attend church a maximum of 52 days a year, counting only Sundays – far less than a school year. Will going more often help our religion? Will going less hurt it? I’ve always thought the longer school year argument by itself was a lot like saying “my car is running rough, so I think I’ll drive it a few hundred more miles.”
It should be clear – shouldn’t it? –that “what’s needed” is not (necessarily) more quantity but more quality in what we do – whether it’s church, school, or whatever. Let’s all pitch in and help educators as they try to make authentic learning easier to attain in the classroom. Let’s all help find ways to connect “the curriculum” to “the outside world” in ways that make sense to students, so they want to learn, and understand WHY they are learning. These goals –especially today – are NOT easy ones, and they’re made more difficult by not realizing how legitimately hard they are.
So, let’s have/join that discussion with open minds – it’s important! Let’s NOT get sidetracked with whether or not we’re doing the same old thing more or less often – it misses the point.
I couldn’t agree more! Quality, not quantity, is what is needed in our public classrooms. I really believe that our students hunger for knowledge. It is up to us to provide it. We need to support our teachers and help them in every way we can to create a positive learning environment for their students. When we do that, we will begin to see a difference in our public educational system.
Thanks, Barb!
I agree with the thoughts you expressed here. The issues/problems we face in education are far too complex to be “fixed” by simply lengthening the school year. As I (and you) have visited/worked with teachers over the years, I have consistently heard the following thoughts/suggestions from the teachers concerning how they would address improving education (Isn’t it interesting that so many of the recommendations for improving education that we hear from politicians, business leaders, etc. are based on little or no input from teachers!).
1. More time during the school day for teachers to prepare, plan together, observe each other teach, develop lessons, etc.
2. More consistent support (not just finances/resources) from administrators, parents, and the public in general.
3. Professional development that is relevant, focused on needs/interests expressed by teachers, sustained, and long-term.
4. Active involvement of master teachers in the education/training/mentoring of pre-service and beginning teachers.
5. A focus on addressing the cultural conditions (children living in poverty, the number of second language learners, number of students per class, number of special needs students, etc.) that impact what happens in classrooms.
6. A minimum starting teacher salary of $250,000.
Actually, I threw in number 6 to see if anyone would read my comments!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
Good thoughts, as usual, Terry! I especially agree with your #6. 🙂