Franklin Wood had some words for the school system in his post the other day. Thought I would give it a shout to my readers. Check out what he said…
Dear Public School System,
I am writing to you because of a crisis we are facing in our society. It is a crisis involving our teenagers, who you are trying to help us mold. Unfortunately, I think you are creating the problem rather than helping it. Let me explain…
The public school system already complains (and rightly so) that our kids are “too tired” and that they “lack concentration.” There seems to be more apathy than ever towards schoolwork and school-related items.
But here’s the problem…
You complain that our kids are too tired, but then you make them stay after school for HOURS of extracurricular practice! They lack concentration, so you lengthen their school year. You make them work at camps from 9:00 to 5:00 IN THE SUMMERTIME! I have teenagers in my church youth group who seem to be able to do NOTHING other than school! Does this produce well-rounded citizens? Why do we think that ALL their time needs to be occupied? Why can we not let them dream anymore? (They don’t have time to dream!) What ever happened to lazy summers?
First of all, it is COMPLETELY UNFAIR to take away their summer “vacation.” Teens in my church group are going to be BACK at Show Choir Camp just TWO WEEKS after they got out for summer vacation! EVERYONE needs time for rest and renewal, but you don’t seem to grasp this concept. Our children are overbooked and overworked. Please, let them have a vacation!
Secondly, this scheduling is detracting from family time…a much-needed (but quickly vanishing) pasttime. Even though many parents are working longer hours and some working through the summers, there are still parents who don’t see their kids til 9:00 PM because of schoolwork. Summers are decimated by camp schedules and other things. Families are passing each other by on their way to the next activity.
Third, overscheduling is unfair to other organizations. My youth ministry is trying to affect the same kind of results as you are. I would LOVE to work in conjunction with the schools, but the schools want ALL the time. While YOU are working on increasing the knowledge and athleticism of these kids, I would like to help work on their character, but my time to do so is increasingly taken away. It is very frustrating when schools tell kids (or give them the impression) that their GRADES depend on attendance of all ballgames, shows,etc. Even during the summer! I agree with the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I certainly do not wish to do away with schooling, but I wish kids could experience more help from church, work, and non-profit organizations.
Lastly, overscheduling is not necessary. It seems that the schedules have been left up to the competitive minds of the local coaches. While I admire their tenacity, I would also question their motives. Are they trying to teach the kids something, or just put another trophy on their shelf? Many kids are working their tails off for those coaches, but they have NO collegiate or professional careers in sight. While hard work is a desired trait, it can also be a boon. Many families are being ripped apart because of dads who never come home. Could it be that we are overworking kids just like we are overworking their parents?
It used to be that we had the WHOLE summer off. Soon, August became “Back-to-school-camps” month with band, choir, etc. Now, the schools have taken June as well. ONE MONTH for summer vacation is not enough! PLEASE leave them alone until August!! Let them have a solid eight weeks of vacation. Let them rest. Let them dream. Let them be gone long enough to actually “miss” school!
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Sincerely,
Franklin Wood
Omaha, NE
What do you think about that?
-Jordan
It probably should not be titled “Dear Public School Systems” and maybe should instead be titled “Dear George W. Bush and other No Child Left Behind Administrators.”
I can not speak on behalf of all public educators, as I am only one, experiencing what I do every day, teaching in Des Moines, Iowa.
My assumption would be that coaches, band directors, choir directors, etc. feel the push to meet with kids before/after school, during summer, etc. because there is no time for those activities during the school day. Because of No Child Left Behind, our push has to be reading and math (occasionally a little science). Is that what public school teachers want? I would say no. I don’t. But, my school’s funding (which is already so low based on the urban, low-income setting) will be less and less if we don’t focus on those areas. At least that’s what good old George tells us.
Do I agree that music and arts stimulate the minds of students? Absolutely! But when the government tells you how much time has to be allocated for each subject, and there are only 405 minutes in the school day, we simply do not have time for those subjects in school anymore. Our school system is in a sad state right now, and the only optimistic thing that I see about it is the fact that the majority of teachers are outraged, and it has become a uniting force that we are fighting the government against.
As for summer vacations… again, I am only one teacher, and I happen to teach in a school that is considered year-round. We have 5 weeks of summer, and other breaks throughout the school year. There is an importance to summer, and sure kids should be kids, etc. I agree with all of that. But, research also shows that many students lose ground in the summer. Their retention rate after long breaks is low. So maybe this letter could also be addressed to parents as well. Again, speaking from my experience… the majority of my students do not have access to academic resources during those breaks (things such as books, magazines, newspapers, computers, etc.) Without those resources, or parents who understand the importance of those resources, or even have the knowledge of how to acquire those resources, kids lose academic ground.
The article you posted is right; it does take a village to raise a child. Absolutely! But, right now our society says that, but expects “someone else” to do the majority of the work.
As for having the church and the schools unite and work together… probably won’t happen anytime soon. Religion and public education have not found a common ground to stand on without feeling so righteous of their own beliefs, and ultimately overstepping the other’s boundaries.
There are a few things that get my riled up, and talking education is always one of them (obviously!). I am passionate about education and it’s relationship to our youth. To me, it’s not just one person’s job. Our society as a whole is failing our youth. Again, going back to the statement, “It takes a village to raise a child,” we all say it, agree with it, and hope for it. But, not enough people act on that thought. Think of the possibilities if that was the motto of everyone working with kids….