So the hot topic this month up here in the North Country is the possibility of switching to a school calendar where we come nine days out of ten. There hasn’t really been any consensus on it yet since there are still some (big) unanswered questions.
My first reaction is that it would be a bold idea- bold in the sense that it breaks the mold, it is an entirely different way of thinking about things, it acknowledges hurdles and faces them.
So, what are the pros and cons? The benefits include great savings in fuel spending. This older building sure isn’t the most energy efficient…we could probably turn off some zones in one building and shut down the other building altogether. Since we are staying longer each day, the district does away with an entire bus run 9 days out of 10 and the tenth day there are no buses whatsoever (except the BOCES run). So far, so good.
Each day, students would be in each class an extra ~5 min to give you the 45 minutes you miss on the 10th. But that also cuts down on total passing time over the two weeks. On that tenth day, the possibilities are endless: field trips, school-to-work, extended team practices, Sup’t Conferences, team/department meetings, clubs, rehearsals, you name it.
BUT
But I worry we lose the “tenth” period every day when kids can come in for extra help. I suppose one a week you could simply schedule a period a day to counter that…
But I worry about the funding we may lose from the state….
But I worry about those parents who aren’t teachers. What do they do with little kids on that second Friday? Daycare is expensive.
But I worry about those kids who depend on us for a hot meal (or two) each day. And would we then have to feed them more each of the other nine since they’re here longer? Food prices have gone up like gas prices have.
So
So, none of my worries are hurdles too big for a group with a strong plan to overcome. I do have a lot of confidence in the group I work with and the community in which I teach to take this on. With the right vision, skills, incentive, resources and action plan, it could be done. As a teacher, I like to think of money being spent on educational, athletic and extracurricular programs rather than gas, no doubt. But there are still some big questions to answer.
