And I'm back!
After much prodding from my followers, I am rekindling the life of "And the winner is". While there has been much action occurring in the realm of education (too much to recount at present), the topic I would like to discuss is that of extending the school day. During a discussion with a friend of mine who is a Cross-Categorical teacher, she had brought up devastatingly valid points including the fact that some parents send their children to school merely because the government requires them to. She states, "These are the parents that you can't get ahold of, don't come to parent meetings, don't show up to IEP meetings. When the school calls them they have no time to talk to any of the staff." As a mother of two special needs children is simply baffling. Over the years I have fought with the system for my childrens' needs to be acknowledged and cared for. I have had to chase after those in charge of treating my children and encouraging their growth. In this case, it is the exact opposite: the system chasing down the parents. However no matter who's chasing who in this obscene game of tag it is the same group that suffers - the kids. Either children go unsupported or unaided in their developmental growth due to the ignorance and complacency of those listed with the charge to help them.
So what do we do about that? According to my cross-cat teacher friend, extend the school day. Giving children a better alternative to home will aid their growth. While I haven't had the opportunity to research this, she stated that most of the best schools in the country have school days going from 8am to 5 or 6 pm.This alternative would, indeed, keep the kids out of (what could very possibly be) a hostile home environment. On the flip side, it keeps healthy, mostly functioning families apart.
What are your thoughts? Is extending the school day worthwhile? Are there any other potential possibilities to provide a safe environment or healthy growth?
