Obama tries to shorten Summer Vacation!?!?!

They would do far more to push our education if they got rid of the stupid things like no child left behind and allowed students to accel instead of bringing everyone to a mean education level. School is turning into a big daycare center just hammering the answers to standardized tests into kids instead of teaching them to think.guynamedbilly

There are a lot of kids who sit around and don't do anything in school. There are a lot of kids who skip classes, don't do their homework, and waste time. There are even a lot of kids who show up but don't get anything out of their classes. Adding more school days won't necessarily have a positive impact on everyone, or even most students. Just because you're attending more days doesn't mean you'll be learning more or gaining anything.

The kids who want to be good students will be good students, and the kids who want to be bad students will be bad students.
Adding more time and more school days won't do anything but piss people off.

t3hrubikscube

So much for his strangle hold on the youth vote.

[QUOTE="t3hrubikscube"]

There are a lot of kids who sit around and don't do anything in school. There are a lot of kids who skip classes, don't do their homework, and waste time. There are even a lot of kids who show up but don't get anything out of their classes. Adding more school days won't necessarily have a positive impact on everyone, or even most students. Just because you're attending more days doesn't mean you'll be learning more or gaining anything.

The kids who want to be good students will be good students, and the kids who want to be bad students will be bad students.
Adding more time and more school days won't do anything but piss people off.

thequietguy

Elementary schools need to improve their standards. Good elementary students move onto good middle schools and eventually good high schools. Kids need to be motivated early towards being good students. The majority of teachers at Lowell high school in SF are pretty terrible teachers. The district figures that Lowell students will study regardless, so they send most of the good teachers to the other schools in hopes of bringing their standardized test scores up. The principal was even moved to another high school a year after I graduated, but the district doesn't realize that the school's success is basically all from the students.

[QUOTE="guynamedbilly"]They would do far more to push our education if they got rid of the stupid things like no child left behind and allowed students to accel instead of bringing everyone to a mean education level. School is turning into a big daycare center just hammering the answers to standardized tests into kids instead of teaching them to think.bluezy

I could care less, I'm graduating but I'm all for it. Let's face it, there are too many dumb kids. Toriko42

My summer vacation this year is from June 4th to October 6th :) Kinda dying to get back to school though..starting University!

[QUOTE="Toriko42"]I could care less, I'm graduating but I'm all for it. Let's face it, there are too many dumb kids. Oblivionfan10

Thats quality of education though, not quantity. The problem with American schools are that some are very good, while there are some that are just awful! There are still some schools that don't even have internet connection! If Obama can fix the quality of our schools, then it won't matter how long we're at school.

[QUOTE="Oblivionfan10"][QUOTE="Toriko42"]I could care less, I'm graduating but I'm all for it. Let's face it, there are too many dumb kids. taj7575

Thats quality of education though, not quantity. The problem with American schools are that some are very good, while there are some that are just awful! There are still some schools that don't even have internet connection! If Obama can fix the quality of our schools, then it won't matter how long we're at school.

[QUOTE="bluezy"][QUOTE="guynamedbilly"]They would do far more to push our education if they got rid of the stupid things like no child left behind and allowed students to accel instead of bringing everyone to a mean education level. School is turning into a big daycare center just hammering the answers to standardized tests into kids instead of teaching them to think.guynamedbilly

[QUOTE="taj7575"]

[QUOTE="Oblivionfan10"] Yeah, I agree. I didn't think that in 10th grade, I'd still be teaching someone how to read. The kid couldn't say develop :(Toriko42

Thats quality of education though, not quantity. The problem with American schools are that some are very good, while there are some that are just awful! There are still some schools that don't even have internet connection! If Obama can fix the quality of our schools, then it won't matter how long we're at school.

In that case, schools should make that an optional choice for all kids to go to if they want. And I agree, a little more study time will help, but first make sure the quality of all public schools (especially in America) is atleast balanced for all schools.

[QUOTE="Toriko42"][QUOTE="taj7575"]

Thats quality of education though, not quantity. The problem with American schools are that some are very good, while there are some that are just awful! There are still some schools that don't even have internet connection! If Obama can fix the quality of our schools, then it won't matter how long we're at school.

taj7575

In that case, schools should make that an optional choice for all kids to go to if they want. And I agree, a little more study time will help, but first make sure the quality of all public schools (especially in America) is atleast balanced for all schools.

"I was like, `Wow, are you serious?'" she said. "That's three more hours I won't be able to chill with my friends after school."

:lol:

Heaven forbid... and that's why I don't necessarily mind the idea.

"I was like, `Wow, are you serious?'" she said. "That's three more hours I won't be able to chill with my friends after school."

:lol:

Heaven forbid... and that's why I don't necessarily mind the idea.

My only concern isn't about friends. Its the homework that one would receive. Would it be more or would it be less?Oblivionfan10

As an instructor, I would say more time in class = less homework. That's how I'd do it. But others have already pointed out something obvious - it's not about quantity of time, but rather about quality of instruction. If those extra 3 hours / day are wasted by poor instruction, then there's no point in adding them.

Also as an instructor, I can vouch for the fact that more time = better results. Cramming advanced music theory into a 50 minute class works for some students, but I find that an awful lot of my students want some more instruction, which I offer to them outside of class time. The extra hour / week I spend with those students makes a VAST difference in their understanding. In several cases, it's the difference between 80% and failing miserably... really miserably.

So I'm pro-more class time, and pro-smaller class sizes. Those two things could make a huge difference to the quality of education people receive, and then maybe they wouldn't view it as a chore any more. I was never bored in high school and never found it to be a chore because I had small classes (thanks to the IB program) and great instructors (also thanks to the IB program).

[QUOTE="Oblivionfan10"]My only concern isn't about friends. Its the homework that one would receive. Would it be more or would it be less?pianist

As an instructor, I would say more time in class = less homework. That's how I'd do it. But others have already pointed out something obvious - it's not about quantity of time, but rather about quality of instruction. If those extra 3 hours / day are wasted by poor instruction, then there's no point in adding them.

But what about extracurricular activites? Those will surely be affected with an extra 3 hours of shool.

God I swear, Obama has tried to pass some of the dumbest new laws/regulations. Some are just absurd.

Pirate700

You'd get the same time off, it'd be split up. One month on, one month off, that sort of thing. No need to get fussy children. :roll:

But what about extracurricular activites? Those will surely be affected with an extra 3 hours of shool.

taj7575

Then let them be affected. If you're out of school by, say, 6 p.m. and you have less homework than you do now, you've got plenty of time to take part in extra-curricular activities. But that may have to take the place of other things you do now that just burn time. So you make a choice - which is more important to you? Playing video games for a couple of hours or playing a sport?

It's good preparation for the real world, where you really need to know how to manage your time, and how to say no to the urge to play games for 6 hours every day.

I imagine that if this system was put in place, some of that added class time would be option material. If it were me calling the shots, I'd allow for organized extracurricular involvement (volunteering, athletics, artistic groups, etc.) to be considered for credit. But even if this doesn't come to pass, you can still have an extracurricular life with more school. I had a life and I practiced 4 hours a day in addition to my IB workload in high school. You just have to cut down on the amount of time you waste.

Also, teachers on average in the US spend 1080 hours of teaching per year, while teachers in the Eurozone spend 679 hours per year. All this data is from the OECD. en-z-io

That's the big problem from my point of view. Push a person to do too much and he won't do as good a job for you, no matter how much you pay him. Teachers have limits that are, sadly, often ignored... and that trickles down to the students.

[QUOTE="taj7575"]

But what about extracurricular activites? Those will surely be affected with an extra 3 hours of shool.

pianist

Then let them be affected. If you're out of school by, say, 6 p.m. and you have less homework than you do now, you've got plenty of time to take part in extra-curricular activities. But that may have to take the place of other things you do now that just burn time. So you make a choice - which is more important to you? Playing video games for a couple of hours or playing a sport?

It's good preparation for the real world, where you really need to know how to manage your time, and how to say no to the urge to play games for 6 hours every day.

I imagine that if this system was put in place, some of that added class time would be option material. If it were me calling the shots, I'd allow for organized extracurricular involvement (volunteering, athletics, artistic groups, etc.) to be considered for credit. But even if this doesn't come to pass, you can still have an extracurricular life with more school. I had a life and I practiced 4 hours a day in addition to my IB workload in high school. You just have to cut down on the amount of time you waste.

Yeah, but schools should help to make sure those people in extracurricular activities can be motivated to go home and do work (or something like that).

It would kind of suck for the students in school still and trying to get used to it. But also I kinda feel that this is a good thing. Seeing as the US isn't the best in terms of education and is getting some of the lowest amount of education in the world. So this is a good thing in the long run.

[QUOTE="Oblivionfan10"]My only concern isn't about friends. Its the homework that one would receive. Would it be more or would it be less?pianist

As an instructor, I would say more time in class = less homework. That's how I'd do it. But others have already pointed out something obvious - it's not about quantity of time, but rather about quality of instruction. If those extra 3 hours / day are wasted by poor instruction, then there's no point in adding them.

Also as an instructor, I can vouch for the fact that more time = better results. Cramming advanced music theory into a 50 minute class works for some students, but I find that an awful lot of my students want some more instruction, which I offer to them outside of class time. The extra hour / week I spend with those students makes a VAST difference in their understanding. In several cases, it's the difference between 80% and failing miserably... really miserably.

So I'm pro-more class time, and pro-smaller class sizes. Those two things could make a huge difference to the quality of education people receive, and then maybe they wouldn't view it as a chore any more. I was never bored in high school and never found it to be a chore because I had small classes (thanks to the IB program) and great instructors (also thanks to the IB program).

I don't know why people are getting angry by this... while growing up(i'm 24), each year the summer got shorter and shorter... I remember back in the 90s summer was REAL long, then around 2000 summer was ending so quickly... this is nothing new.

Yeah, but schools should help to make sure those people in extracurricular activities can be motivated to go home and do work (or something like that).

taj7575

Giving young people a lot of time to waste doesn't motivate them to do anything but waste it. You need look no further than your peers to see evidence of that. If you can't be bothered to participate in extracurricular activities because you're in school a few hours longer, those activities probably weren't very important to you. People make time to do the things they want to do after they do what they have to do.

I should qualify my support for this idea by stating I don't think it's a good idea for the little ones. Children can only maintain their concentration for so long. But if you're in high school, you should be fully prepared to spend more time learning, and there should be no whining about it, because it really is better for you than using those three hours to play video games, slack off with your friends, or trash Joe's house because his parents are out of town and forgot to lock the liquor cabinet.

I got another joke. Sasha and Malia must have done something pretty bad this summer for Obama to threaten this. :P

my other joke: I heardObama wanted to buy my school and run it himself :P

::shakes head:::

What would any of you be doing if it weren't for school? Your parents would make you get a job, that's what. No more seeing hundreds of different friends everyday. You'd see the same exact 20 people or so at work all the time, everyday, without school to make up the difference.

School is fun. At least college is anyway. When you're in college, you'll be begging to go to school all year long.

and there should be no whining about it, because it really is better for you than using those three hours to play video games, slack off with your friends, or trash Joe's house because his parents are out of town and forgot to lock the liquor cabinet.pianist

My only complaint is, I don't want to hear any complaining when we have school from 7 AM to 5 PM. I just don't want to hear it. And the kids that will be complaining, or at least most openly, will be the ones that caused me to be there for extra time in the first placeOblivionfan10

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

God I swear, Obama has tried to pass some of the dumbest new laws/regulations. Some are just absurd.

th3warr1or

I can't vote...:(

[QUOTE="pianist"] and there should be no whining about it, because it really is better for you than using those three hours to play video games, slack off with your friends, or trash Joe's house because his parents are out of town and forgot to lock the liquor cabinet.guynamedbilly

I did all of this while in all honors and a few aps like physics, calc. Making school longer = /wrists and staying up late.

Oatmeal is better for you than processed foods as well, but I sure wouldn't want to eat it all the time. There are several different things that go into developing a child, school hours not necessarily being the most important.guynamedbilly

High schoolers aren't children. And school hours are much more important and useful to development than video games, hanging out with friends, or partying. It's important that people have time to relax, yes, but we don't need nearly as much leisure time as we currently have. Young adults in this day and age tend to be incredibly spoiled and lazy, complaining and whining if they don't get at least 6-7 hours of "me time" per day. Then we wonder why they have so much trouble adjusting to college or working life.

Extra hours alone is only part of the solution, but it's a step in the right direction, unless you're talking about true children. In that case, it's a horrible idea. But young adults have no excuses. They HAVE to be able to concentrate for a full work day, and they HAVE to know a great deal more than their grandparents did to be successful in an increasingly complex, modern society. Gone are the days where you can drop out of high school and EXPECT to still get a great paying, secure job. And gone are the days when about 5 hours of classroom instruction 5 days a week is sufficient to teach all that people need to learn. We skimp on a lot of important topics and we do the rest really half-assed because we don't allot enough time to instruction, and we jam too many students into classes.

[QUOTE="guynamedbilly"][QUOTE="pianist"] and there should be no whining about it, because it really is better for you than using those three hours to play video games, slack off with your friends, or trash Joe's house because his parents are out of town and forgot to lock the liquor cabinet.JigglyWiggly_

I did all of this while in all honors and a few aps like physics, calc. Making school longer = /wrists and staying up late.

In this post, you've exposed another massive flaw in the North American education system - instead of pushing students to meet hefty requirements, the curriculum is dumbed down to give them a false sense of success and accomplishment. The education system is working when people like you fail your classes because you weren't paying attention. This happens all the time at the post-secondary level. Cocky "honors students" who are "great at math" head into their first year Engineering courses with the same attitude they had in high school and then find themselves kicked out of the program by the end of the first semester because they failed every single one of their math-related courses miserably.

To be fair, classroom instruction has to move at the pace of its slowest members. You may simply be intellectually gifted, and so the material is too boring to maintain your interest. But I've seen the laughable requirements of some curriculums. Suffice it to say you don't have to be especially bright to score well when the most difficult thing you're asked to do in a grade 12 English class is write two paragraphs summarizing your feelings after reading a 6-line poem.

More time doing that crap will be useless, which is why extended days are only part of the solution.

And this is why we dont vote democrat, Obamas gonna screw up our country, and we wouldn't be at a disadvantage if every school was private.