Education for Kids.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...-west-12376923

And they wonder why education in this country is falling!
Kids are off school more these days than they have ever been.

TYPICAL,

The council is only thinking about Money, Unions only thinking about parents and work, What about the kids, do they not have a right to more education?

Re: Education for Kids.

Having just skimmed the link the suggestion is that it is not that the number of hours teaching should be decreased, but the intention is to fit the compulsory taught hours into four days rather than five. Although this could cause problems for working families, theoretically the children will not be missing out on any statutory hours of education. I think what is very important is the quality of the teaching/teachers and what is being taught. I am not thinking it would be beneficial for the infants to have longer days, but the older children are certainly able to be at school for more hours a day than they are now. They don't do 9-5.00 do they? Perhaps the fifth day could be self-directed study and homework at home, given that the majority now have computers.

Re: Education for Kids.

A vast majority of parents in States do NOT help their kids with homework & computers are used for play. Focus is on sports & good teachers are in short supply. A huge amount of schools have problem students that get arrested often including bringing weapons to school, bulling, & rape. These same students take their violence to the streets.
So having shorter days at school & or class work at home may not be an option.
Students are even passed on to higher grade even though their grades would keep them behind.
Our college students spend most of their time being social & little time on studies.
Lovely mess and no solution in sight.

Re: Education for Kids.

Having someone trying to cram 5 days of stuff into your head in four days will make kids even more demented.

Learning a little knowledge every day makes it stay in place, trying to take in a lot in a shorter time makes it pass right through the ears and out of the other side.

A lot of kids have nothing between them to stop it.

Re: Education for Kids.

I can understand what you are saying Antibrown and you probably have a point about a little learning everyday staying in place, but 25 hours statutory time over 5 days equates to only 5 hours per day. Moving to a 4 day school week would only increase the time spent in lessons to 6.25 hours per day. Not all the 25 hours is intensive classroom learning time, so I would hope that the average student would not find a four day week too taxing on their brain cells, as long as they are not too young. Perhaps I am being too hard on them to think that they should be able to cope.

Re: Education for Kids.

The younger the child the more they can learn at a faster rate.
We put too much importance on sports in US then on studies that are needed.

Re: Education for Kids.

Very true!!! - up to one third of my school time was 'wasted' on subjects which I had and continue to have no interest in whatsoever. Subjects like physical (torture) Training, woodwork, metalwork (my Father was an Engineer by profession), Technical Drawing, Art. None of these subjects did I show any flare or interest in, but year after year throughout my secondary school education the authorities insisted that I be educated in them. I would much rather have spent more time on more academic subjects like History, Geography, Biology, Chemistry.

Re: Education for Kids.

My opinion is that this problem started years ago when parents decided they couldn't obtain their desired level of income without mom working. This triggered a number of negatives. We don't raise our children anymore, strangers do. We're working longer hours with a lot of employers requiring more overtime rather than hiring more people. Kids are left to wander aimlessly without adult supervision. They eat junk and get lazy and fat because mom or dad aren't home to cook. Kids get in trouble because they hang out after schools with their friends instead of doing their homework. Where are our parents. Sadly, some parents are finding a radically wrong solution to this problem, abortion.

Re: Education for Kids.

Joe I bet there were kids in your class thinking what a waste History,Geography,Biology, Chemestrywere and that more time should have been spent on P.E, Woodwork,Art etc.

At least we were being taught a wide variety of general everyday subjects which were needed for later life.

Re: Education for Kids.

Very True, their choice (if we had been given one) - but that was also a problem - we were presented with a timetable for the year as a fait accompli and weren't given any opportunity to challenge any part of it.