School days, school days, dear old fashioned rule days

[Guest Peeves]

Differing venues are looking to shorter summer breaks. Since summer vacation as I understand was so farming kids could help with the harvest and planting, (a chore now done chiefly by imported labor), why not school all year round?

Bill will allow year-round schooling

Districts can fix length of summer break

Jonathan Fowlie And Doug Ward, Postmedia News

Published: Saturday, April 28, 2012

Education Minister George Abbott has introduced legislation that will eliminate the standard school calendar and allow boards of education in B.C. to offer alternative scheduling options.

Abbott said school districts have been able to change individual calendars but that few have, largely because the province has issued a standard set of recommended dates for the school year. Abbott said he expects that changes to the school year will be "evolutionary," with many schools moving toward shorter summer breaks.

"Perhaps school districts will look at a six-or seven-or eightweek summer break, versus a 10-week break. Or whatever the school board, the parents, the students and the public feel is appropriate."

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=fba48f71-3bf8-4951-bdab-25480d3ab457

http://thewritesource.com/studentmodels/ws2k-summer.htm

[Fletch 27]

Simply to add new teachers to the voting pool catered to by the Liberals and NDP.. Add more teachers, Add more votes. The only reason Dalton McGuinty is in power is due to the addition of thousands of teachers and teachers assistants for Ontario's "All day, day-care".... More money thrown at a problem that doesnt exist.

[Guest Peeves]

Simply to add new teachers to the voting pool catered to by the Liberals and NDP.. Add more teachers, Add more votes. The only reason Dalton McGuinty is in power is due to the addition of thousands of teachers and teachers assistants for Ontario's "All day, day-care".... More money thrown at a problem that doesnt exist.

Good point. Make teachers work 12 months like the rest of us and cut their generous pensions maybe?

[Michael Hardner]

I'm with Fletch. Why do this ?

This answer seems weak to me:

"What we now have is a pretty strong case that children learn better when they don't have a long summer break, that a shorter period where they're away from school is better."

[Topaz]

There's another group who has more days off than teachers and they have has more days off, than ever before, if I'm right any guesses?

[Guest Peeves]

I'm with Fletch. Why do this ?

This answer seems weak to me:

Edited April 30, 2012 by Peeves

[Michael Hardner]

Let's stay on point. The point is schooooool. school year. Not social activism.

I have no idea what you're trying to say here.

[Guest Peeves]

I have no idea what you're trying to say here.

You're right, my apology. The response was meant for another.

Sometimes fingers work b4 putting brain in gear.

Edited April 30, 2012 by Peeves

[Guest Peeves]

There's another group who has more days off than teachers and they have has more days off, than ever before, if I'm right any guesses?

Let's stay on point. The point is schooooool. school year. Not social activism.

[dre]

Differing venues are looking to shorter summer breaks. Since summer vacation as I understand was so farming kids could help with the harvest and planting, (a chore now done chiefly by imported labor), why not school all year round?

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=fba48f71-3bf8-4951-bdab-25480d3ab457

http://thewritesource.com/studentmodels/ws2k-summer.htm

I totally disagree. If you look that the countries that outperform us education wise, they actually have shorter school years, and less school days. Increasing the quantity of education is not as important as increasing the quality.

Like many of Canadas institutions our education system is out of date, it needs to be redesigned and we need to look at the top systems and figure out what ideas we can borrow/steal.

Heres a few though from when I read up on this a year or so ago.

1. More input from the private sector, including some funding. In other words the private sector who expected to hire these students once they are done school has a stake in the system, and can play a valuable role makeing sure we are training the right workers.

2. Branching and vocational schools. At about age 14 students that are not suited for the academic path should be able to branch into vocational programs to be trained as highly skilled tradesmen. The academic path should be split up into thinkers (researchers and pure academics), and doers (engineers, geologists, etc).

3. Students should not jump around from school to school (elementary school, then middle school, then munior high, and senior high). K-12 should happen at the same facility so that the students and teachers basically grow up together.

4. Shorter school year... Maybe a full quarter during which students go out and get some real work experience in some type of program run jointly by the education system and private sector.

[dre]

There's another group who has more days off than teachers and they have has more days off, than ever before, if I'm right any guesses?

The lazy shitheads in parliament? Our pampered and priviliged political class?

[punked]

Simply to add new teachers to the voting pool catered to by the Liberals and NDP.. Add more teachers, Add more votes. The only reason Dalton McGuinty is in power is due to the addition of thousands of teachers and teachers assistants for Ontario's "All day, day-care".... More money thrown at a problem that doesnt exist.

You have no idea what you are talking about. Look at NS right now and tell me more about how teachers are in the NDPs pockets vis-versa. More Conservative tripe.