Education secretary calls for 12-hour school days, longer school year

daily caller ^ | 7/28/10 | Paul Conner

[KC_Lion]

whoops LIBERAL, well they didn’t teach me to spell the schools did that ;)

[Allegra]

They're testing the American people....trying to see how much we'll take before something gives.

They're trying to discern where that line is.

[darkangel82]

I’m beginning to think they have a political death wish, or something.

[Buggman]

BINGO.

[dalebert]

i heard a teacher complainging about not tenought time off...she gets 6 weeks compared to my 2 weeks off.

[christianhomeschoolmommaof3]

Your experience with your neighbors is not typical of most homeschoolers. Most homeschoolers provide a wonderful education for their children. The test scores prove this to be true.

[SoftballMominVA]

Actually, many homeschoolers brag about only taking 2-3 hours to do what the schools take 7 to do. So the observation that the kids don’t seen to work very long at schooling may very well be more typical than not.

[christianhomeschoolmommaof3]

I wasn’t referring to only taking 2-3 hours to finish your schoolwork. I was referring to the fact that the other poster didn’t believe that homeschooler did 2-3 hours of schoolwork a day. He believes they get no schooling.

Upthread I said that we are typically done with formal studies by noon. The kids then practice piano, read, play outside, build, do crafts. Formal education with 3 students does take significantly less time than a class of 20 or more. We don’t have to divide our attention, change classes, take roll, deal with bad behavior (most days) etc etc.
In our home we school year round so we don’t have to review at the beginning of each year. We take short breaks and keep plugging along.

[christianhomeschoolmommaof3]

Ping to 68

[christianhomeschoolmommaof3]

May be of interest for the ARTH list.

[kalee]

Painting with a rather broad brush aren’t you?
Maybe a homeschool family you know does that, but I could give many examples of homeschool families who think their child’s education is their #1 priority and they work hard to a provide a top notch homeschool experience.
I was one.

[christianhomeschoolmommaof3]

“I was one.”

Were you a homeschooled student or a homeschool parent? If you were a student, do you have plans to homeschool your own children?

[SoftballMominVA]

I've read numerous posts where homeschooling talk about finishing the formal school work in 2-3 hours and the rest of the day is left over for play.

That, to me, would be a big advantage of homeschooling over a formal school in terms of structuring the family day.

And I think that if there 100 different homeschooling families, there are 100 different ways of conducting school studies. The poster may just be seeing what goes on outside the hosue and not what is going on inside.

[Joan Kerrey]

kids would be spending a lot more time at school — and a three-month summer would be a thing of the past.

Great!! 12 hours a day at school and no summer break keeps kids away from those evil parents who undermine the good efforts of the agenda. The more we can keep kids away from home indoctrination the better. /s

[SoftballMominVA]

Painting with a rather broad brush aren’t you?

Is that the same broad brush that public schools get painted with? You know, the one where posters say that anyone who sends their kids to public schools are guilty of child abuse?

Yeah, I've seen that brush a time or two. Learn to ignore broad brush statements. You don't have to move in the way of the brush if it doesn't apply to you.

[Joan Kerrey]

Good luck getting that 98-hour work week past the teachers’ unions, Arne

---

this would require several shifts of teachers and teachers to cover days off. The union will love this. It’ll double, maybe almost triple membership.

We’d also have to keep the cafeterias open requiring many more employees.

[kalee]

You know, the one where posters say that anyone who sends their kids to public schools are guilty of child abuse?

I would never say that as I had one graduate public school and one graduate homeschool. I say do what works for your child and your family and that is what I have always posted.

[christianhomeschoolmommaof3]

The other poster may well be right. There are families out there who say they are homeschooling but aren’t giving their children an education.

I was only trying to point out that what he/she was seeing in his neighbors was not typical. You are correct though, the kids could be doing their studies in the evenings when the parents are working.

Anytime my husband has time off, we take time off from school. We travel with him when he travels. That is one reason we chose to school year round. We can take these breaks without being pressured to finish up in May. Our school year runs from January to December.
Being in control of your schedule is a huge advantage to homeschooling.

You are right, no two homeschoolers are alike. I know unschoolers, 9-3 everyday schoolers, 2-3 hour a day schoolers, teacher led homeschools, self taught homeschoolers. Each family has to do what is right for them.

[kalee]

Agreed.

[metmom]

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