4-Day School Weeks?

[Ginger_Warrior]

You're not shrinking the number of hours children are learning for a week, you're just rearranging them. They're still gonna be at work the same number of hours, just as Goddess has pointed out with the "saving money on energy" point.

 

 

 

Teachers would still therefore get the same wage, would they not?

 

 

 

Again, I'm not seeing how that's saving money.

[jjrox32]

My school goes from 8:30-2:35, 7 classes (50 minute each) and 3 minute breaks in between, and I find even that hard to make it through without falling asleep. Make me stay another 2 hours and I'd go mental.

[matrix2613]

It save money in more ways then you might think. First off would be the diesel the buses spend getting about three quartes of the 2500 kids at my school. That would be a 20% savings to transportation costs. In Florida, temperatures hover around 85-95*Fyear round, unless a cold front comes by. Having the system at a higher temperature for the three days school is out would be more efficient then having the system at 70-75*F four 5 days at a time, while keeping the considerably colder in order to alow a quick cooldown time in the morning to normal temperatures. For a large, mostly outdoor (by that i mean it has some open air hallways) school like mine it would be ideal to have the entire system like that. For one school it might only save a few hundred thousand per school, but the state has many, many schools because of the many, many students.

 

 

 

Right now, all teacher salary increases has frozen, text book orders by teachers are being largely ignored, and the school is considering closing down some of its many sport programs.

[Giordano]

OR we could have the Terminator give more budget money to the education department instead to other crap in California... (and in several other states)

[warri0r45]

No, I don't think so.

 

 

 

On the extra day off kids will more than likely be left alone, or if child care is used, it's not a good solution. In Australia, for example, finding a childcare spot at the moment is like finding a needle in a haystack. A flood of the childcare market like this would simply be impossible. Let's not forget how pissed off parents would be if they had to pay for childcare because of such a decision, too. I know I would be.

 

 

 

Another thing I'd argue is that cramming extra material into 4 days rather then spreading it out over 5 makes for a worse education. Kids only have a certain attention span, and I vividly remember mine dwindling as the school day went on. By the end of it, I didn't want to learn any more, I just wanted to go home because I was getting tired. A nice big 3 day weekend sounds like the perfect time to forget all you learnt over the past 4 days, too.

Your brain processes stuff when you sleep so if you have 2 days of school 1 day of break 2 days of school and 2 days of break it would work well.

 

 

 

Even if the extra day off was in the middle of the week, many of the same problems would remain. I'd be more inclined to make school 6 days a week and make the days shorter. In that way, kid's minds are recharged every day and they wont be half-asleep by the end of the day. I think it's about right at the moment, though.

[CowsEatFood]

Wouldn't it take some time to get the school cooled back down again after a 3 day weekend?

 

 

 

Anyways, at our school it definitely wouldn't work. We have a lot of extra-curricular activities, which a lot of people are involved in. Also pretty much anyone who isn't in an extra-curricular activity has a job. (And also the activities range from being from 6 in the morning to going to 6 at night). Also it brings a little bit more money into the school.

 

 

 

Also we have a lot of snow/ice/whatever days, and those would be hell to make up during the summer.

 

 

 

Any other points have been mentioned (although at our school, which does block scheduling, it would be hard to sit through 2+ hour classes).

[Ouchy]

I'd like a 3 Day Weekend, but it isn't practical. You would have to work so much harder over those 4 Days at school, and you would be given a butt load of homework over the Weekend too. Getting back into school would be harder too, and you would probably have to stay a couple of extra days at school at the end of the year.

[daniels911]

Why dont we make 1-day school weeks while we are at it. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Sam]

I'm for it, though staying in school until 4:30 - 5PM I'm not for.

[Wongtong]

I don't mind having school 5 days a week, it's not unbearable or anything.

[RSBDavid]

Is this for all types of schools (we have elemenary, middle, and high schools here)?

 

 

 

I think 4 days would be fine for middle school. High school should be more like college. YOu go to 2 or 3 classes a day for 2-3* hours at a time. (* two hours if 3 classes and three hours if 2 classes.) We have a 7 period day scheduel with 47 minute classes and 6 minute passing periods. Our lunch is 29 minutes. It sucks. It takes 4 minutes minimum to get to classes for a normal schedueled student. You can't use the restroom except for during lunch and lunch is so short, and the lines are long (900 people split between 3 lines) no wonder why kids skip school and stuff.

 

 

 

Oh, 7 periods = 7 finals in 2 days. 3 one day and 4 the next. Its a pain in the [wagon] to study for.

 

 

 

Why dont we make 1-day school weeks while we are at it. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

 

 

Why don't you go trolling somewhere else why you are at it.

[dusqi]

I support the Chinese system ;) They spend more time at school than their parents do at work. :thumbup: (did I mention that I'm done with school? ;) )

[jemathonical]

And on the Friday it should be made compulsary for grade 9 and up that the students go out into the workforce. Good work experience for them, and still giving them a 2 day weekend, which is long enough

[TheDark]

Where I live we would be going to school when the sun is just coming out and get out when it's almost dark, that would be pretty weird to me but i don't think i would mind keeping the normal schedule or a 4 day week.

[doomy]

How about 8 day weeks, with 5 schooldays and 3 day weekends? :P

 

 

 

Nah seriously, I don't really think 4 day weeks is a good idea, but then again, an hour added onto each day could make that time up...

[limpbizkit]

I do 4 day weeks at college.

 

Its not the greatest of things but then I am at the age where I dont need looking after all day .. And it uses up a lot more energy than being at college. Just because you take that off then your doing it and damaging other staff. Not teachers but staff such as janitors that probably don't even get paid much to begin with.

 

And you would not save a penny. You would probably cost more. At home you would want:

 

Entertainment

 

Food

 

Drink

 

Heating

 

Electric

 

Etc. And times that say 500 pupils then that's a lot more than just one school.

[Skull]

I think a 6 day week would be better than a 4 day week to be honest. Since I have to go to school for 185 days a year (because our school is stupid) and I live in a place where snow days are fairly common, I'm usually in school until the last days of June, and start school again around the 20th of August. If there were 6 day weeks I could be out around April and have a much longer summer to enjoy. I'd call that a fair trade.

 

 

 

It'll never happen though. And I'd say 5 days is better than 4. I like getting out of school at 1:45 instead of 4:00 actually.

[db300]

I'm for it, though staying in school until 4:30 - 5PM I'm not for.

 

 

 

How else would be able to take a day off... :roll:

[monkeyboo2]

At my college (6th Form) we have 4 day weeks.

 

It works out nicely, but i don't think it would work anywhere below College (high school/primary school).

 

This does not give the teachers a day off as not all students are off on the same day. It is designed simply to stop the college being overcrowded so roughly a fifth of students are off each week day.

 

Its pretty neat but as i say I wouldn't think it would work for lower than college because they aren't often big enough to need this 4 day week to stop overcrowding and parents would be worried that the children aren't capable of looking after themselves so would have to pay for childcare etc.

[nickeley102]

Im all about the 3 day working week.

 

 

 

12.5 hours a day for three days and four days off (40 hours)

 

sounds better than

 

8 hours a day five days a week and two days off (40 hours)

 

 

 

Yes, I have worked 12 hour shifts before

[ThurinEthir]

For those suggesting 6 day weeks:

 

Though I agree on how nice it would be ending the school year earlier (Or perhaps ending school days earlier/starting later), wouldn't it conflict with religious people? Jews go to temple on Saturday (I think?), Christians have church on Sunday...Which one do you take?

[limpbizkit]

For those suggesting 6 day weeks:

 

Though I agree on how nice it would be ending the school year earlier (Or perhaps ending school days earlier/starting later), wouldn't it conflict with religious people? Jews go to temple on Saturday (I think?), Christians have church on Sunday...Which one do you take?

 

 

 

 

 

And staff and pupils getting a descent amount of time off. Teachers are probably busy most the weekend with other stuff as well as work stuff.

[Skull]

For those suggesting 6 day weeks:

 

Though I agree on how nice it would be ending the school year earlier (Or perhaps ending school days earlier/starting later), wouldn't it conflict with religious people? Jews go to temple on Saturday (I think?), Christians have church on Sunday...Which one do you take?

 

Valid point. I didn't think of that, it's not something I really worry about.

[Millard]

Im only in 4 days a week now thanks to good old AS Levels and i must say its loads better than being in 5 days a week. Instead of cramming in all my homework in after school i can use my day off to do it all without rushing and even if i don't have any HW i can revise of do whatever leaving weekends free to go out etc.

[Cha0sx]

I support the Chinese system ;) They spend more time at school than their parents do at work. :thumbup: (did I mention that I'm done with school? ;) )

 

 

 

Wow that sounds like hell. I would probably kill myself if I had 1 hour/2 hours a week for relaxation, either that or not do my homework/do some of it and sleep 10 hours a night.