s/o - would you be okay with your kid

[cookiemdough]

Going to school for the duration of a work day? this came from the article about women having it all and one woman who is quoted that it would help if school schedules and work schedules were the same.

[pixy0stix]

8-5 would be a long flipping time for continuous learning. I remember coming home from school and just being mentally exhausted.

[ttt]

No, definitely not. Especially since they'd actually be there much longer, taking into account the time to drop them off, then go to work yourself, plus going to pick them up.

[meg]

No. For younger kids that is just too much. And for older kids, that would make after school activities very difficult/impossible.

I think it is important that kids have time to unwind/play/relax after school, but they also need time for dinner, showers, homework before bed.

[ECB]

To actually sit and be in CLASS all day? No. I don't think kids have the concentration for that.

Now, as many preschools do, if you want to talk about schools offering a before and after care program where your kids and go and play - that's fine. I don't see that any different than daycare.

[Deleted]

I think it depends how it's structured. I mean, I got out of first grade at 2:45 and then went to aftercare until about 5. At aftercare, I had a snack, watched some TV, and played games.

If it were done such that there were breaks with plenty of downtime and unstructured play for younger kids and maybe opportunities for older kids to do their homework, I wouldn't think it's a huge deal.

But I'm not sure it would be fair to require kids with parents who SAH or work PT to be at school that long just because it's more convenient for parents with demanding jobs.

Also, it will never happen because it would require more staffing/teacher pay.

[IIOY]

If they are going to sit at a desk all day, no.

If they are going to have a variety of activities that involve hands-on projects, moving to different rooms (or buildings, depending upon the size of the school), ample physical education, etc., in addition to traditional studies, yes. My DD has intense levels of energy and curiosity and would *love* this. My son is intensely curious but has lower energy because of his issues. He's also all of four, LOL, and I assume a longer school day would involve rest periods to one degree or another.

[noonecareswhoiam]

Our school day will be 8:30 am to 3:45 pm next year. That's getting really close to the witching hour for my little guy, who is in preK (yes, they go all day. While there is nap, he doesn't sleep). And it make is more difficult to have after-school activities (they had a Korean tutor this year). They are in Montessori, so outside of recess there is no "free play" for the littles.

To me, it only makes sense if you rely on the school to provide enrichment activities--language, arts, sports. Otherwise, it really strengthens the perception that teachers are child care providers rather than educators.

[Deleted]

Not if it included all the extras I currently drive them around to, but I'm sure my priorities don't mesh with other families so I'm not sure how practical it would be. I'd love to drop my kid at 8 and pick him up at 5 knowing he got a full day of school plus swimming lessons, cello lessons, mandarin lessons, soccer, chess club, etc.

[heightsyankee]

Jun 22, 2012 9:37:21 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

But I'm not sure it would be fair to require kids with parents who SAH or work PT to be at school that long just because it's more convenient for parents with demanding jobs.

This is a good point. There are definitely after care options at all the public and private schools in my area. I assume this is true in many (but of course not all) areas. As a SAHM, I definitely would not want my kids to be in school until dinner time. Kind of defeats the purpose of staying at home...

[Deleted]

Most schools have aftercare.... I think the bigger issue is "let's have a class play on Tuesday at 1:30" all the parents are invited

[cookiemdough]

Jun 22, 2012 9:41:50 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Not if it included all the extras I currently drive them around to, but I'm sure my priorities don't mesh with other families so I'm not sure how practical it would be. I'd love to drop my kid at 8 and pick him up at 5 knowing he got a full day of school plus swimming lessons, cello lessons, mandarin lessons, soccer, chess club, etc.

This is a scenario I could get behind.

[buckeyes]

I don't see why not and I'd be willing to pay for it. My kid will be in daycare and school/latch-key that long. Obviously curriculum would have to be adjusted. I'd hope they would have more free play time for the younger kids. They could have music, art, and gym every day or at least more frequently, additional time for lunch. It might help keep us competitive with the rest of the world in math and science.

[jaylea]

I would be content with after school care that can actually accomodate all the kids. Ours is first-come first-served with limited spots. But no daycare centers around here take school aged kids. So wtf are you supposed to do?

[IIOY]

Jun 22, 2012 9:41:50 GMT -5 @septimus said:

. I'd love to drop my kid at 8 and pick him up at 5 knowing he got a full day of school plus swimming lessons, cello lessons, mandarin lessons, soccer, chess club, etc.

This is what I am assuming would happen if the school day ran this long - extracurriculars would be incorporated. At least that's what I assumed when answering. We are playing In A Perfect World With No Funding Problems here, right?

[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2012 9:47:56 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Jun 22, 2012 9:41:50 GMT -5 @septimus said:

. I'd love to drop my kid at 8 and pick him up at 5 knowing he got a full day of school plus swimming lessons, cello lessons, mandarin lessons, soccer, chess club, etc.

This is what I am assuming would happen if the school day ran this long - extracurriculars would be incorporated. At least that's what I assumed when answering. We are playing In A Perfect World With No Funding Problems here, right?

and agreeing on what an appropriate extracurricular would be.....

i was shocked at the xenophobia publicly displayed when our superintendent suggested starting Mandarin classes in every elementary school in our county.

[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2012 9:54:41 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Jun 22, 2012 9:52:30 GMT -5 @septimus said:

and agreeing on what an appropriate extracurricular would be.....

i was shocked at the xenophobia publicly displayed when our superintendent suggested starting Mandarin classes in every elementary school in our county.

Really, you were shocked? I'm not, considering all the crazy shit you post about what goes on where you live.

I really was shocked... I didn't fathom just how bad it was here.. I thought I just had random anecdotes.

[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2012 9:47:56 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Jun 22, 2012 9:41:50 GMT -5 @septimus said:

. I'd love to drop my kid at 8 and pick him up at 5 knowing he got a full day of school plus swimming lessons, cello lessons, mandarin lessons, soccer, chess club, etc.

This is what I am assuming would happen if the school day ran this long - extracurriculars would be incorporated. At least that's what I assumed when answering. We are playing In A Perfect World With No Funding Problems here, right?

Yeah, that's how I'm envisioning it. Instead of playing soccer through the Y, you'd have elementary school soccer teams. Stuff like that. Basically I'm envisioning it that when the kid gets home from school, he has no activities or homework left for the day - just playing/downtime.

[ringstrue]

yes if they included nap time.

[IIOY]

Jun 22, 2012 9:54:41 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Jun 22, 2012 9:52:30 GMT -5 @septimus said:

and agreeing on what an appropriate extracurricular would be.....

i was shocked at the xenophobia publicly displayed when our superintendent suggested starting Mandarin classes in every elementary school in our county.

Really, you were shocked? I'm not, considering all the crazy shit you post about what goes on where you live.

LOL, Moxie has a point.

[ering1115]

Depends on schedule. If there was an extended lunch period with recess for kids to burn off steam and a mandated daily PE, then most likely yes. I would also like the idea of an "extra-curricular" that was chosen from a few options (maybe that changed quarterly).

When I was in middle school we had lunch and then a "free" period. But, for the free period we had to choose an activity (calligraphy, different art classes, different shop classes, some general enrichment). I really liked it and remember how much fun it was every quarter (semester?) to choose my new free period activity.

[noonecareswhoiam]

Jun 22, 2012 9:52:30 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Jun 22, 2012 9:47:56 GMT -5 IIOY said:

This is what I am assuming would happen if the school day ran this long - extracurriculars would be incorporated. At least that's what I assumed when answering. We are playing In A Perfect World With No Funding Problems here, right?

and agreeing on what an appropriate extracurricular would be.....

i was shocked at the xenophobia publicly displayed when our superintendent suggested starting Mandarin classes in every elementary school in our county.

This would be an issue! Our after-school activites are supported by the PTA, all of whom seem to have girls. So we have afterschool activities that my boys aren't interested in. There's dance, but no martial arts. Violin, but no guitar or drums. And the PTA meets at 9:30 in the morning, so getting involved isn't really an option.

[curmudgeon]

Yes, absolutely, and year round. Curriculum should include activities like those mentioned and in older grades time for homework. Also, kids up to 5 are in daycare all day, so if the day were well structured then a full day would not be exhausting. I think the most important reason for this is not necessarily for scheduling around parents, but the amount of crime that happens when kids have all this unsupervised free time.

ETA: www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/offenders/qa03401.asp

[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2012 10:28:13 GMT -5 noonecareswhoiam said:

Jun 22, 2012 9:52:30 GMT -5 @septimus said:

and agreeing on what an appropriate extracurricular would be.....

i was shocked at the xenophobia publicly displayed when our superintendent suggested starting Mandarin classes in every elementary school in our county.

This would be an issue! Our after-school activites are supported by the PTA, all of whom seem to have girls. So we have afterschool activities that my boys aren't interested in. There's dance, but no martial arts. Violin, but no guitar or drums. And the PTA meets at 9:30 in the morning, so getting involved isn't really an option.

Our PTO does enrichment clubs one day a week for 8 weeks each semester. The only choices for boys are track and legos. Girls have dance, cheer, american girl, etc...

When we lived in Cambridge there was a wondeful community school attached to her public school. Every 9 weeks she got to choose different classes from clowning to cooking to ballet. There was enough variety and depth that she could do 2 classes every day after school so we had childcare covered until 5:30

[Deleted]

As long as there was some downtime, yes, I would be fine with it. When DS starts school, he will be there from 7:30am until I pick him up from latchkey at 5 or 5:30 anyway.

[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2012 9:41:50 GMT -5 @septimus said:

Not if it included all the extras I currently drive them around to, but I'm sure my priorities don't mesh with other families so I'm not sure how practical it would be. I'd love to drop my kid at 8 and pick him up at 5 knowing he got a full day of school plus swimming lessons, cello lessons, mandarin lessons, soccer, chess club, etc.

This would be awesome. But do you know how expensive it would be? Lol.

[shouldbworkin]

Mine nearly does. His school day runs from 9 am to 4 pm (bus comes at 8:40 and drops off at 4:30). It makes it pretty easy for DH and I to stagger hours and not miss much at all. It does make it really hard to get to extra curricular activities during the school year, though. That's a function of his school hours, not our work hours.

Our days are this long b/c they added 30 mins to every day the last time the contract was negotiated. This way, they got in all their hours and could keep all their vacations. It works for us (and there are ample camps during vacations too).

[AJL]

Jun 22, 2012 9:31:14 GMT -5 @mrdobalina said:

not before age 10, really

Why not? Kids go to daycare that long. There are plenty of pre-elementary school kids who are going to daycare for longer than a work day.

I'm not opposed to an 8-5 school day. However, I don't expect that we're talking 9 hours of sitting in a desk all day. They don't do that now, they wouldn't do it in a longer school day.

The question is whether teachers would be on board with this and considering all the things they need to do to prep for classes and all the extras teachers are expected to do, I don't see the work-day/school-day becoming a reality.

[heightsyankee]

Jun 22, 2012 13:04:49 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Afterschool witihn the school system (in Charlotte) is definitely not an u structured play time. Maybe for pre-k and k, but the older kids are expected to do their homework, some do test prep bullshit for the EOG tests, and then you can play.

I think this is kind of bullshit and generally bad for elementary aged kids. I can see MSers having to do homework and such, but kids up to age 10 need to play. It helps with their development. And don't get me started on fucking test prep... I think it's fine for kids to be in care until parents are done with their work day, but they have to be allowed to have a childhood, too FFS.

[overture]

Jun 22, 2012 9:58:24 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Jun 22, 2012 9:47:56 GMT -5 IIOY said:

This is what I am assuming would happen if the school day ran this long - extracurriculars would be incorporated. At least that's what I assumed when answering. We are playing In A Perfect World With No Funding Problems here, right?

Yeah, that's how I'm envisioning it. Instead of playing soccer through the Y, you'd have elementary school soccer teams. Stuff like that. Basically I'm envisioning it that when the kid gets home from school, he has no activities or homework left for the day - just playing/downtime.

What a wonderful world that would be. :Y: