Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava
I know full well I'm going to get flamed for this, bit here goes. There aren't enough hours in the school day is the problem. I have two kids in elementary and we're looking at six hours a day, and half days every Friday. In that six hours the kids do music, art, physical education, and of course the core subjects. It has to be jam packed! Then you factor in what feels like an endless stream of PD or organizational days. I joke that these kids are never in school actually doing school work. I do feel bad that the teachers can't keep up, but it's not hard to see why.
Then add in that we only get report cards twice a year. Basically parents have just found out what is actually taking place for their kids learning. The next report card is the last day of school, so essentially if things are lacking they have to be fixed immediately. It's a crazy amount of pressure to put on the teachers and students in my opinion. No more nipping it in the bud after the first report card. It's really a poor structure.
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In a homogeneous class, the system used to work as intended. Problem is we have classrooms with all sorts of diverse learners and little to no supports in place. As a parent it may not seem like it, but kids spend just as much time in class as I did as a student in the 80's. The hours and days haven't changed.
Reporting has changed significantly. Report cards suck. It takes around 30-40 hours to do them and they provide sweet tweet when it comes to feedback. They're a snapshot at best. I liken them to the Catholic that only goes to church on Christmas and Easter. Too little, too late.
I'm currently piloting an office hours idea. Make myself formally available on a weekly basis to call, meet or message.
As a parent I strongly encourage you to whip off an email every few weeks to your child's teacher to ask how things are going. I will reply to an email way before I initiate contact. That goes back to the overwhelmed part.