OFFICIAL JULY 2009 THREAD!!! (Part 2) It's here!!

[PopArtGal]

High school here is from 9:25 to 3:55. How I even you guys who have earlier schedules. It used to be from 8:25 to 2:55 and how I loved it so much better. They apparently changed because there was a study that says teens are more alert after 9am. Yeah right. They stay up until 1am. By the time I get home it's 5pm. And if I have things to do, I go to bed late. So I get to work by 8am, to get things done in the morning when no ones arrived yet and leave right after hehe

Thank you Lois. It means a lot for the recognition.

 

[Grandma4ever]

Anyone who is a teacher is a saint.

I believe that instead of the kids being in trouble that the parents need to be brought in. Sudent does not complete his homework the parent talks to the school. It is a regural issue then they talk to the courts.

Kids steal a car both the kids and a parent do time. If the parents have to show what they are doing to teach and control their kids maybe more would pay attentions.

Maybe we need to lower our standard of living and keep a parent or caregiver at home to teach the kids. We do not need million dollar homes. Kids can share rooms and ware hand me downs. They do not need material items to feel good. They need the love and direction of a family. They need to know that they will be protected and that they will have food, shelter and love.

At some point we have got to find a way to stop the kids from running all over and doing what they want in the moment. Most crime is committed by youth or those who became criminals in their youth.

I am again on my soap box so sorry. Teachers - saints / Parents need to do most of the teaching.

 

[meanmom121]

AMEN!!! And I'm a teacher!

So if all the schools went to year round schedule - would that then mean that all the kids would most probably be out at the same time of year and then we would still be having traveling issues because everyone would be traveling at that time. ( no run on sentence there)

I don't even know how to do a power point presentation. Lois

I don't either

Since you all are discussing schools. We moved to Florida from Texas a year ago. My DH and I are always discussing "when are the kids in school?" Guess they are in 180, but seems like they were always getting a holiday or teacher workday last year.

School starts in two weeks here and will run through the first of June.

What hours do your kids go to school? In Texas the elementary went from 7:45am to 3:00. Here they start at 8:00 and get out at 2:15, then this past year they started an early release one Wednesday a month at 12:15 to give teachers time to do paperwork.

my kids go from 8:00 to 4:00 - why so much longer than everyone else. They only get 15 minutes of recess so that's not it

 

[WLfamily]

Thank you all for the well wishes for my dd! She is feeling better today now that we have two doses of antibiotic in her.

Lois, I couldn't agree with you more on the points you are making about parental involvement. This will be my seventh year as a substitute teacher. There are some children that you know it doesn't matter how much you do in the classroom, it will all be lost when they get home. It is very sad. You can tell the ones who have parents who take the time to work with them and the ones that don't. Even simple things like when you tell them to bring a paper back the next day signed, you will always have those certain kids who have an excuse as to why a parent never saw the paper. Teachers are not miracle workers, they are only with your children a certain number of hours a day and cannot be expected to teach all they are "required" to now and instill good manners and social skills too. Too many parents are looking for someone to blame other than themselves and that is sad.

Our hours here for our elementary school are 8:25 ~ 3:25 and middle and high school 7:10 ~ 2:10.

 

[meanmom121]

AMEN!!! And I'm a teacher!

I don't even know how to do a power point presentation. Lois

Since you all are discussing schools. We moved to Florida from Texas a year ago. My DH and I are always discussing "when are the kids in school?" Guess they are in 180, but seems like they were always getting a holiday or teacher workday last year.

School starts in two weeks here and will run through the first of June.

What hours do your kids go to school? In Texas the elementary went from 7:45am to 3:00. Here they start at 8:00 and get out at 2:15, then this past year they started an early release one Wednesday a month at 12:15 to give teachers time to do paperwork.

Thank you all for the well wishes for my dd! She is feeling better today now that we have two doses of antibiotic in her.

Lois, I couldn't agree with you more on the points you are making about parental involvement. This will be my seventh year as a substitute teacher. There are some children that you know it doesn't matter how much you do in the classroom, it will all be lost when they get home. It is very sad. You can tell the ones who have parents who take the time to work with them and the ones that don't. Even simple things like when you tell them to bring a paper back the next day signed, you will always have those certain kids who have an excuse as to why a parent never saw the paper. Teachers are not miracle workers, they are only with your children a certain number of hours a day and cannot be expected to teach all they are "required" to now and instill good manners and social skills too. Too many parents are looking for someone to blame other than themselves and that is sad.

Our hours here for our elementary school are 8:25 ~ 3:25 and middle and high school 7:10 ~ 2:10.

Okay okay, I confess. I do forget to sign their papers sometimes. And I'm horrible about remembering to send them a note to go back to school after being sick. - But I'm really not think when I leave for work at 5:00 am. I pretty much just call the school when I get to work - but I do make sure that homework gets done. And having a son with dyslexia pretty much means he can't do his homework without parental assistance - plus we have extra activities to do with him every day for his dylsexia from Davis dyslexic Institute

 

[WLfamily]

Okay okay, I confess. I do forget to sign their papers sometimes. And I'm horrible about remembering to send them a note to go back to school after being sick. - But I'm really not think when I leave for work at 5:00 am. I pretty much just call the school when I get to work - but I do make sure that homework gets done. And having a son with dyslexia pretty much means he can't do his homework without parental assistance - plus we have extra activities to do with him every day for his dylsexia from Davis dyslexic Institute

And you are in no shape or form one of those parents we are speaking of! I know homework is hard enough for us and we don't have any learning disablities, I can't imagine how difficult it is for you. And that leaving for work at 5am, your a better woman than I am!

 

[flipflopmom]

So if all the schools went to year round schedule - would that then mean that all the kids would most probably be out at the same time of year and then we would still be having traveling issues because everyone would be traveling at that time. ( no run on sentence there)


I don't either


my kids go from 8:00 to 4:00 - why so much longer than everyone else. They only get 15 minutes of recess so that's not it

Wow, VA state law says all kids have to have 30 minutes of exercise daily, k-12!

We go 8:15-3:30, High school 8:30-3:40, no middle school.'

Lois, thank you! Teaching is so hard, we do more than instruct, we parent. It's so sad. I had a child come in last year and say "I can't call Daddy Daddy anymore b/c he shot my car w/ mom, me and my brother in it." She was 5, and we live in RURAL america.... It is a war zone, and the demons are winning. Scary times, folks.

 

[PopArtGal]

Okay okay, I confess. I do forget to sign their papers sometimes. And I'm horrible about remembering to send them a note to go back to school after being sick. - But I'm really not think when I leave for work at 5:00 am. I pretty much just call the school when I get to work - but I do make sure that homework gets done. And having a son with dyslexia pretty much means he can't do his homework without parental assistance - plus we have extra activities to do with him every day for his dylsexia from Davis dyslexic Institute

Don't feel bad. Believe me, getting papers signed is the least of my concern.

What bothers me is when you call a parent saying their son shoved a girl against a wall and spit on her. The parents answer: Oh well. That's him.

That makes me so angry.

 

[PopArtGal]

Wow, VA state law says all kids have to have 30 minutes of exercise daily, k-12!

We go 8:15-3:30, High school 8:30-3:40, no middle school.'

Lois, thank you! Teaching is so hard, we do more than instruct, we parent. It's so sad. I had a child come in last year and say "I can't call Daddy Daddy anymore b/c he shot my car w/ mom, me and my brother in it." She was 5, and we live in RURAL america.... It is a war zone, and the demons are winning. Scary times, folks.

I'm there with you

I'm 26 and raising 200 kids lol

 

[meanmom121]

Wow, VA state law says all kids have to have 30 minutes of exercise daily, k-12!

We go 8:15-3:30, High school 8:30-3:40, no middle school.'

Lois, thank you! Teaching is so hard, we do more than instruct, we parent. It's so sad. I had a child come in last year and say "I can't call Daddy Daddy anymore b/c he shot my car w/ mom, me and my brother in it." She was 5, and we live in RURAL america.... It is a war zone, and the demons are winning. Scary times, folks.

yikes You wonder how some kids survive their parents

 

[meanmom121]

woohoo Just found out that school supplies will be included in our tax free weekend this year - Glad I haven't gotten around to getting those yet.

 

[Grandma4ever]

Years ago when I was in my twenties and my kids were just babies I volunteered in a 4th grad class. The teacher showed me a spelling test from one of girls. She wrote F*** down for each of words. Now this was a very bright young lady. The teacher asked me what I though it meant. Having come from a verbally abusive home and studied up on things like that I knew that it was not good. I told this young teacher that I felt there was a very good chance that this was a cry for help and that this beautiful young girl was being sexually abused. I do not know what the teacher did as I never followed up.

It is a war zone out there and our future is at risk. Teachers should teach not need to parent. Parents need to parent. Today our school suck because as a country we will not hold parents responsible. Kids who cannot behave should not be in the regular classroom. This comes from a social worker who works with folks who are developmental disabled. I believe in mainstreaming these student but not at the expense of others. We need to make a change or we will be at the bottom of the feeding chain. Lois

 

[PopArtGal]

Years ago when I was in my twenties and my kids were just babies I volunteered in a 4th grad class. The teacher showed me a spelling test from one of girls. She wrote F*** down for each of words. Now this was a very bright young lady. The teacher asked me what I though it meant. Having come from a verbally abusive home and studied up on things like that I knew that it was not good. I told this young teacher that I felt there was a very good chance that this was a cry for help and that this beautiful young girl was being sexually abused. I do not know what the teacher did as I never followed up.

It is a war zone out there and our future is at risk. Teachers should teach not need to parent. Parents need to parent. Today our school suck because as a country we will not hold parents responsible. Kids who cannot behave should not be in the regular classroom. This comes from a social worker who works with folks who are developmental disabled. I believe in mainstreaming these student but not at the expense of others. We need to make a change or we will be at the bottom of the feeding chain. Lois

They mainstream too many at a time in one class. A teacher can't keep up. We keep complaining and nothing is done. I'll just have to get used ot it

 

[Grandma4ever]

They mainstream too many at a time in one class. A teacher can't keep up. We keep complaining and nothing is done. I'll just have to get used ot it

Please DO NOT get used to it. It is a major dis-service to all students. Those who are disabled and those who are not - neither get the time they deseve and neither is able to learn at their best. Please keep fighting the good battle and continue to attempt to make the needed changes.

We in the good old US need to step up and make the needed improvements. That however will cost money and I am not sure that the majority will care enough until it is too late.

We need to care for everyone in this country, if one person is sick without health care or hungry without food we all lose. If one child does not learn we all lose then as well. Again I believe that too many parents are just trying to make ends meet or they are trying too hard to keep up with the Jones. Either way the kids lose out due to lack of attention.

It used to be that if a child stepped out of line a neibor wqould step in and handle it until the parent was available but we can no longer do that due to fear that the parent will make accusation of abuse. We need to build very clear boundaries for our kids. That needs to be the job of the parents and if they fail the job of society as a whole. It is NOT the job of our school to parent. I know you all know this.

 

[PopArtGal]

We are fighting. Constantly fighting. Fighting for the ways schools are managed, and as an art teacher, I fight for the arts in school.

We are mad at our schoolboard. We need more money for supplies in school, and instead of going that, they hire a 3rd general director at the schoolboard.

But that's something else

 

[Mindy5767]

Poor kiddo -- I hope she feels much better very soon!



Elementary school here is from 8:30 to 3:15 (or 3:30?), middle school is 7:30 to 2:45, and high school is 7:45 to 2:45.



.

Sorry I'm so late to this discussion. Here is Loudoun County, VA our elementary kids go from 8:50 to 2:20, our middle school kids catch the bus around 8 (obviously school starts later but I don't know cause I don't have one there now) they return on the bus at 4:05pm. The high school kids start at 9am (yeeah for a county that recognizes that teens need more sleep) and get out at 3:50.

 

[Mindy5767]

Wow, VA state law says all kids have to have 30 minutes of exercise daily, k-12!

We go 8:15-3:30, High school 8:30-3:40, no middle school.'

Lois, thank you! Teaching is so hard, we do more than instruct, we parent. It's so sad. I had a child come in last year and say "I can't call Daddy Daddy anymore b/c he shot my car w/ mom, me and my brother in it." She was 5, and we live in RURAL america.... It is a war zone, and the demons are winning. Scary times, folks.

It can't be a VA state law for k-12 because once my kids got to 11th grade, they didn't have to take PE anymore. They couldn't have been happier. DS17 had to get an inhaler from our doctor, so he could run the mile. They always did it in the spring when his allergies/asthma were acting up. DD(now 21) always hated PE. So did I in fact. Its funny too, because by the time I got to college, I always signed myself up for a PE class. I took swimming in the all woman's gym (they still had one), I took golf and aerobics. If only the lower level gym teachers had made it not torture.

That story is just heart-breaking with the 5 year old. My mom told me about when she was subbing at the elementary school and a little girl (probably about 5) clung to her leg and wouldn't let go because she so needed a hug and some love. It is so sad the homelives of so many little children who are not wanted or loved. It makes me so upset that someone didn't even care enough to put them up for adoption so that a loving childless couple could enrich their lives.

 

[flipflopmom]

It is a law, but I've found a lot of schools, especially high schools, find "creative ways" to document the 30 minutes, like walking in the halls in the mornings, walking to classes, etc.

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

As the wife of a former PE teacher (he now teaches Biology), I was stunned by how little PE is required where we live in Georgia. In Anchorage, our school district required PE through middle school/junior high (Mark taught middle school PE and they actually *did* real PE -- played volleyball, basketball, ice hockey in the winter, baseball, aerobic dance, running, etc. -- real physical activity every day), and a certain number of PE credits and passing some fitness tests (including a swimming test) was required in order to graduate from high school. The elementary schools also had two recess periods per day, and the kids went outside in the winter until it got below either zero degrees or 5 below zero (I can't remember which) -- we had to make sure they went to school in their snowsuit, gloves, hat, face mask/scarf, and snow boots.

Where we live in Georgia, the elementary school kids have PE three days per week (not sure how long the PE period is), one 15 minute recess per day (and on hot or rainy days they don't take them outside at all), and middle school PE is a 9 week class that the kids gets rotated through a minimum of once during their three years of middle school. In the high schools, kids are required to take one semester of "personal fitness" in order to graduate -- and all my DD's class did was walk the track every day and do some stretches. They also had to run the mile three times during the semester in a certain amount of time. Not much of a PE class.

And they wonder why Georgia has such high rates of childhood obesity...

Physical activity isn't just important for physical health -- it's also important for emotional and mental health. Not to mention it has a positive impact on behavior!

They really, really, really need to do a complete overhaul of the education system in Georgia -- PE would be a great place to start. (And I don't just say that because DH was a PE teacher and is now a high school coach!)

 

[meanmom121]

As the wife of a former PE teacher (he now teaches Biology), I was stunned by how little PE is required where we live in Georgia. In Anchorage, our school district required PE through middle school/junior high (Mark taught middle school PE and they actually *did* real PE -- played volleyball, basketball, ice hockey in the winter, baseball, aerobic dance, running, etc. -- real physical activity every day), and a certain number of PE credits and passing some fitness tests (including a swimming test) was required in order to graduate from high school. The elementary schools also had two recess periods per day, and the kids went outside in the winter until it got below either zero degrees or 5 below zero (I can't remember which) -- we had to make sure they went to school in their snowsuit, gloves, hat, face mask/scarf, and snow boots.

Where we live in Georgia, the elementary school kids have PE three days per week (not sure how long the PE period is), one 15 minute recess per day (and on hot or rainy days they don't take them outside at all), and middle school PE is a 9 week class that the kids gets rotated through a minimum of once during their three years of middle school. In the high schools, kids are required to take one semester of "personal fitness" in order to graduate -- and all my DD's class did was walk the track every day and do some stretches. They also had to run the mile three times during the semester in a certain amount of time. Not much of a PE class.

And they wonder why Georgia has such high rates of childhood obesity...

Physical activity isn't just important for physical health -- it's also important for emotional and mental health. Not to mention it has a positive impact on behavior!

They really, really, really need to do a complete overhaul of the education system in Georgia -- PE would be a great place to start. (And I don't just say that because DH was a PE teacher and is now a high school coach!)

Sounds like my kids in Texas are on the same kind of program yall are on in Georgia. Studies show boys learn better and have better concentration skills when they are able to get up and do physical activity several times throughout the day. Why do we spend tax dollars on these studies if no one utilizes their advice?