Educational reform has some flaws
Kristin Dragos
Issue date: 10/5/09 Section: Opinion
Obama is trying to revamp the school year, according to an article on MSNBC.com. He'd like to see year-round school and time added on to the school day. The article also points out that Obama would like to see schools be open late and on weekends. While I agree with some parts of Obama's plan, some parts I have to wonder about.
For example, if schools are open late and on weekends, who would be watching the students? Would teachers have the responsibility of babysitting added on to their already full plate? Would schools get paid as a day care for the extra time the students hang around after 3 p.m. because parents can't pick them up yet? I would hope that before the plan is put into action they would think about these kinds of issues. While this would create more jobs for some people, the day cares that exist may have to close because the students they normally care for wouldn't have to leave the school.
The year-round school idea isn't as bad as some people think. The students would go to school for anywhere from five to nine weeks and then receive three to six weeks off. Regular breaks and holidays would be built into the schedule. By the time students get tired of school, they would get some time for themselves.
Also, if class time is longer, it wouldn't be by much. Obama only wants to add 10 minutes to each class. Depending on the number of class periods, it would mean only an hour or so would be added to the school day. Students and teachers would be able to get through more material each day. Going to school and learning should be the job of each student. The students have to take responsibility for their learning, and they should be going to school to learn as much as they can.
Overall, I'd have to say that Obama's way of thinking isn't terrible. I hope he is discussing the issues with other people in Congress and, more importantly, teachers and schools. To make the new system work, he's going to need cooperation from teachers, students and school administrators - the people who would be directly affected by changes in the system.
For example, if schools are open late and on weekends, who would be watching the students? Would teachers have the responsibility of babysitting added on to their already full plate? Would schools get paid as a day care for the extra time the students hang around after 3 p.m. because parents can't pick them up yet? I would hope that before the plan is put into action they would think about these kinds of issues. While this would create more jobs for some people, the day cares that exist may have to close because the students they normally care for wouldn't have to leave the school.
The year-round school idea isn't as bad as some people think. The students would go to school for anywhere from five to nine weeks and then receive three to six weeks off. Regular breaks and holidays would be built into the schedule. By the time students get tired of school, they would get some time for themselves.
Also, if class time is longer, it wouldn't be by much. Obama only wants to add 10 minutes to each class. Depending on the number of class periods, it would mean only an hour or so would be added to the school day. Students and teachers would be able to get through more material each day. Going to school and learning should be the job of each student. The students have to take responsibility for their learning, and they should be going to school to learn as much as they can.
Overall, I'd have to say that Obama's way of thinking isn't terrible. I hope he is discussing the issues with other people in Congress and, more importantly, teachers and schools. To make the new system work, he's going to need cooperation from teachers, students and school administrators - the people who would be directly affected by changes in the system.
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