How Quickly We Forget

I cringe whenever I read articles about extending the length of a school day. Are we all so old that we can't remember how long the days were as children? Are we so overworked now that we think nothing of subjecting small children to the same painful fate they will soon have to endure? Will adding 1.5 hours to a school day really make a difference? What really bothers me more is the movement in public education to "take over" for parenting. Full day kindergarten, year round schooling, longer school days say one thing and one thing only to me - FREE DAYCARE!

I recently received an email from another parent who urged parents to complain because the county added two half days to next year's schedule. The reasoning for the addition was that with the No Child Left Behind guidelines and standards, teachers are now in need of more planning and paperwork time. Adding two half days in two different quarters will give them that added time. I'm completely in agreement with this. This parent, however, forwarded a letter she sent to the Board of Education asking them to instead make the two half days one professional day because it was easier for her to find childcare for a full day instead of two half days.

Honestly, if I were a board member, my first thought would be, "Do you think that's any concern of mine?" Of course, that's me. Someone making these decisions must be thinking more of these parents because I have a kindergartener who attends 6.5 hours of school everyday, who is completely exhausted after 2 full days, and unconsolable after 5 straight days of that. The assurance I had from the seasoned kindergarten teachers was that with a full day, the atmosphere would be more "relaxed" than the half-day. After nearly three quarters, I beg to differ!! We receive the same requests to do flashcards, complete math activities, read at home with our children, yet when my daughter steps off the bus at 4 pm, she needs a BREAK! What 6 year old wouldn't? I give her that break to decompress, then we eat dinner, take baths and that leaves about 1/2 an hour of time with daddy. Who has time to do anything else? It's seriously a pressure cooker.

So, the big question.... is there a trade off for this 8 hour school day? I dread the thought of not seeing my children for that long each day, so you can't impress me with the free childcare issue. Will they endure 8 hours of "education" and then have homework? Now that would just be the ultimate insult! Would they be smarter? Doubtful, and I've read plenty of information which suggests that even a longer school year would not improve the intelligence of children. I guess the bottom line here is that I'll never be convinced. Surely, this kind of direction in education would convince me that homeschooling is an option!

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest this: if we want to improve the quality of our children's education, we will not leave it entirely in the hands of people who just want themselves to look better. We will get involved, we take the initiative, we will foster educational values at home. Parents are the ones who need to take back some of this responsibility and professional workplaces ought to recognize a parent's committment to the education of their children by allowing the time off needed, supporting parents in attending special events or field trips and contributing to educational institutes. Our nation's professional world has the means and ability to support parents and it's about time they did that!

This year has been a time of thought and decision making for me. There is a part of me that would love to return to a "real job" and actually contribute to the family finances. Then there is another part of me who reads emails from or listens to the anxiety of friends searching for daycare/summer care/afterschool care for their children and I'm thankful for not having that extra added burden. I really want my kids to come first, of course that includes being able to finance higher education for them (I'm not that short-sighted!). I would love for there to be a workable solution for the predicament we find ourselves in, but an 8 hour school day? To me, that is just ridiculous! If there is one thing I can do for my children in their lifetime, I'm hoping it will be the decrease the amount of time they are confined to a classroom and increase the amount of time they are experiencing the world.