Comments on: Losing the School Groove: Year Round Education

By: 10 Qualities of Successful Teachers

10 Qualities of Successful Teachers — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:12:34 +0000

[...] a teaching certificate these days. Unfortunately, I see a lot of half-wits also realize this. Public schools are a mixing pot of teachers who care but stink at teaching, teachers who don’t care and stink at teacher, and [...]

By: Homeschooling: An Argument for Year Round School

Homeschooling: An Argument for Year Round School — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 02:13:13 +0000

[...] too much resistance from unions to make much headway. We homeschooling families have long known the value of year round education. In fact, it’s a pillar of our success. An article by Ruth A. Peters, Ph.D. cites a [...]

By: How to Start Homeschooling

How to Start Homeschooling — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 02:46:41 +0000

[...] be better than every public school teacher, but I’m better than average, and I can do it year after year. Consistency will win the day. Your own reasons for homeschooling, like mine, cannot be [...]

By: 8 Kinds of Smart

8 Kinds of Smart — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:28:10 +0000

[...] problem with public schooling is its inability to teach all its classes in a way that is optimally designed for each kid. Kids [...]

By: Reading Material for Boys: Different than for Girls

Reading Material for Boys: Different than for Girls — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:59:53 +0000

[...] know that isn’t true. They don’t learn more slowly, they learn differently. Our public education system is sedate; it’s designed around verbal learning which is what girls are especially good at. [...]

By: Homeschool Textbooks aren’t Designed for Secular Families

Homeschool Textbooks aren’t Designed for Secular Families — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:30:32 +0000

[...] is seen in public schools. I don’t have a problem with what public schools teach, just how they teach it. But, it’s frustrating that I can find quality instruction in every subject except [...]

By: Levels of Maturity

Levels of Maturity — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:44:18 +0000

[...] In addition, she’s dealing with many levels of maturity. She’ll never educate anybody if she spends her time customizing her approach to every kid. She has no choice but to do the best she can to educate her kids in an assembly line [...]

By: Keith

Keith — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:25:46 +0000

Joanna, Good point. I agree with your educational philosophy. Kids learn when they are engaged in any activity requiring brain power irrespective of their environment. I think the biggest problem we, in the United States, face is parents who do not engage their kids at home. They leave it up to teachers to do all the educating. Thus, when they have two months of vacation during the summer, they lose too much forward momentum. It’s more of a parenting issue than it is a public school issue. Of course, since so many parents are unwilling to take basic steps to ensure their kids quality education, the next best thing is to prevent the motivated parents and kids from suffering at the hands of the lazy. Year round school forces kids to keep learning when they would otherwise falter. And, I would be someone in favor of a shortened school day too. Being in school for 7 or 8 hours is totally unnecessary. I think a slow burn through the year is much better than going whole hog for 10 months and coming to a complete stop for another 2. Thanks for the comment!

By: Joanna Cake

Joanna Cake — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:15:55 +0000

Over here, some schools have changed the way the year works to five six-week terms with a one or two week break between each. The problem is that some schools have done it and some haven’t, which makes it a bit of a nightmare for working parents.

I help out at school as well as having kids of my own and I really enjoy the long summer break, just to have a rest from the crushing pressures of ‘the routine’…homework, lunchboxes, after school clubs. I think it does them good to have a rest from the drudgery of it all, although I think six weeks really is a little too long because they do start to get bored.

As parents, it is up to us to continue teaching and reinforcing our kids’ education during that time. Not necessarily sitting down with schoolbooks every day, but for them to see is reading and writing. As you said, learning to count money, playing games involving money. These all help with maths. Games and quizes. Maybe watch a foreign film with subtitles. Going out for a walk in the woods or fields and trying to spot wildlife. It doesnt have to be a rigid structure, just little things here and there to revise and revisit.

To me, that’s all part of being a parent and not using the tv or video game console as a permanent babysitter. And, yes, I know how hard it is dragging them away from those two things but if you make the effort even a couple of times a week, you’re achieving something… even if it’s only spending time with them where you’re solely focussed upon them and not thinking about something else.
.-= Joanna Cake´s last blog ..HNT: 2009 Favourite =-.

By: Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:40:07 +0000

It helps to have a teacher like Keith that is ultra well-educated, really cares for his kids, and schools them 6 days a week. How else is a kind going to get that level of attention? It's just not fair. .-= Dennis Yu´s last blog ..I play video games for a living now– sorta =-.

By: Keith

Keith — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:38:26 +0000

Obviously I am not offended by dissenting opinions. I appreciate them. Perhaps it is the medium we’re using to communicate. Sometime the written word is fickle; it can appear to be something that was not intended. I accept that you did not intend to offend. However, if you re-read how you presented your opinion you could see it how I saw it. I’m not an overly sensitive person who can’t listen to differing opinions. I’m trying to look at this objectively. Your last sentence here is purely rhetorical. If I say you’re wrong about dissent being accepted then I’m a Nazi. If I say you’re right, that dissent is accepted, then I’m somehow admitting that I haven’t accepted it in my previous comments — which is untrue.

You’ll notice that my thesis here is that year round school is beneficial for the fact that kids lose information over the summer. I am not talking about special needs kids (even though I still don’t see a difference) or unusual cases that require additional solutions. I’m thinking in very broad terms. Just because it won’t work for everybody doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work for most people. This is a macro argument not a case by case thing. For instance, I can say truthfully that in order to lose weight people must exercise and eat right. Well, some people can’t exercise because of physical limitations. Other people don’t have access to proper nutrition through no fault of their own. That doesn’t make the blanket statement about losing weight any less true.