The school board models wrong kind of behavior
Your article, “Vote defies state on snow days” (March 11), fails to point out the unintended message sent to schoolchildren throughout the county: Guilford County Schools can pick and choose which law to follow.
Schoolchildren aren’t necessarily going to understand Jill Wilson’s argument that the state law is too vague. I do not believe the law is vague. I was part of the grass-roots “Save Our Summers” movement to contain the impact of the school calendar on family life. It is a shame there has to be a law to give families and children time to live free of the rat race of school. It is a crime to not follow that law. If Guilford County Schools does not have consequences, children will be taught that following a law is not really important. Education is about actions as much as it is about words.
Libby Thompson
Greensboro
Comments (3)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
IMO the make up days should be made up during Easter vacation. It is not necessary for the schools to be out for a whole week to start with.
I remember when I went to school(of course this was back in the olden days when kids weren't coddled and babied, like they are now) we got Good Friday afternoon off and we had to go to church. There was no Easter Monday or week long vacation.
So what if some people need to make changes to their plans to take trips or go on vacation . I would think that the kids would rather have to go to school during that time as opposed to in the summer, when it is hot and kids don't have their mind on school work because they want to be doing their own thing at that time of the year.
Posted on March 16, 2009 8:57 AM
If schools were more efficient, it wouldn't take so much time. I'd love to have a team of industrial engineers go into schools, do time studies and work sampling studies, and tell us all how much of each school day children are actually engaged in academic activity rather than 1. moving from room to room 2. waiting for the teacher to establish order in the room 3. taking practice tests for EOGs rather than learning new material 4. watching movies because EOGs are finally over and everyone is sick and tired of them.
I can see where every single day and hour is important in a school with a fast pace and a rigorous curriculum. The question is, does that describe your school? If not, your vacation is probably more educational than a make-up day will be.
Posted on March 16, 2009 10:01 AM
There is no Easter break or Christmas break any more on public school calendars. It is called winter break and spring break. The reason that 180 mandatory calendar does not make up inclimate weather on the next Saturdays is due to Seventh Day Adventist and Jewish Sabbath concerns. I know a bunch of Jews and Seventh Day folk..these kids could miss weeks of school and not miss a beat due to their strong family values. FYI Muslim Holy Days are Friday as sacred to Muslims as is the Sabbath Saturday is to Jews and some Adventists. It is a crying shame that when all books are collected, seniors have graduated, all testing is over that cildren are bused to school to sit in class rooms with subs due to real teachers have enrolled in higher educational activities and are frankly clear out of dodge.
Posted on March 16, 2009 2:48 PM