Dear Editor,
Re: FSD planning for fewer school days
Apparently it has been determined that teachers will not be up to date and trained without implementing a plan to reduce the amount of classroom days for students. While I’m sure we all want our children to be taught by qualified teachers I think a decision such as this seriously undervalues the importance of the classroom time students spend with their teachers.
Looking back to my own school years and those of my children it was not necessarily the best educated or the best trained teachers that had the biggest impact on our learning experiences. Instead it was those special teachers that taught us that to love to learn, would make us want to learn, that failure can and will happen in life, it is how you handle disappointment that can turn a negative into a positive, to always strive to do the best we could, and if need be to try and try again. We were taught the skills we would need to learn independently as well as in groups. Those teachers did that by being there for us five days a week and at the time I was in school that was 200 days of the year. Adding minutes to a school day does not replace a day of school.
The effect of a four-day school week on students, parents (both working and non-working) and education was recently demonstrated when the state of Hawaii voted to bring in what they called furlough Fridays in 2009. The fallout was swift and furious and the decision was reversed in 2010 and the schedule returned to the five-day week.
Professionals in other fields are continually upgrading often on their own time and at their own expense. These people also work extended hours, coach teams and work weekends. Since teachers are also professionals is it unreasonable to ask that they too adopt this type of philosophy and perhaps do professional development at times when school is not in session such as July or August.
Finally, education should always put the needs of students first. I think a student will benefit far more by having his or her teacher spending Fridays in the classroom rather than in workshops or seminars. As for asking the libraries and recreational facilities to step up to the plate, there is plenty of time to pursue activities in these venues on evenings, weekends and holidays and they should not be used as substitutes for classroom education.
Dot Greenshields
Okotoks
