10. What is best for kids? What is best for teachers?

10. Alternative Schedules to the traditional 36-week school year.

This We Believe (NMSA, 2010).

*Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships. Organizational Structures

At the end of the first nine weeks, students had a four-day weekend. Teachers had a district-wide in-service day on Friday, and on Monday teachers worked in their rooms and grades were submitted. The new nine weeks started on Tuesday.

 Finishing a nine-weeks with exams and projects, grading all of the pieces, and then turning around to begin a new nine-weeks was challenging. I didn’t feel like I had the “refresh and re-boot” necessary to begin the new nine weeks.

I am in week three of the new nine weeks and I have had a difficult time motivating my students to complete work. In addition, I am seeing more restless behavior. Is it that we are all weary? Is the material becoming more challenging? Perhaps it is a little of both. Students had their first “project” due a week ago. Less than half of my students turned it in on time. And while they are succeeding on weekly quizzes, I have a lot of students not doing homework. Could it be that they need more down time? I think so.

We have a week before Thanksgiving break. I am focusing on catch up and enrichment. This is what it looks like:

1)   Practice – we will still have a warm-up that provides a review of three topics we have covered this nine weeks: midpoints, length based on points on a plane, and exponents. We have also explored Pythagorean’s Theorem, but they are doing well on that.

2)   Those who need a “re-do” will have the opportunity to do it next.

3)   Those who have not finished their projects will work on them.

4)   Those who have been successful and who have finished their projects will work on TenMarks (a Web 2.0 website).

Our district is looking into the possibility of converting to an alternative calendar. We have an elementary school that is using the alternative schedule and now teachers and district leaders are discussing the possibility of going to a calendar that would put several weeks between each nine weeks. The district meets regularly with each school’s Teacher of the Year. In the most recent meeting a discussion took place regarding the school calendar. Our representative brought the information back to us and we are sharing ideas about it. One of my colleagues shared input from one of her friend’s who is experiencing the alternative as a mom…

I think I would like it. I do know someone who does this and wanted to let you know what they say about it.  Just FYI

My understanding from a family who has been at a school that does this;

· She said you really get what "feels like" more time off and at better times of the year.  (Less crowded at parks.  She was able to take her kids to Disney at an off-season time.  This allowed for less people at the parks (no lines) and better deals on lodging and tickets due to the "off season rates".  She was also able to take a cruise at a time it was discounted due to the season.)

· She stated they do much less remediation at the start of the new year, because there is not a long down time.

· Kids that are behind get a chance to catch up during the first week off, so they are back on track with the others when they all return.

· There is less burn out from staff and students because they know that they work 9 weeks and then have a big break.

· Their breaks were normally around the time we would be off anyway.  They always had a long Christmas and now longer Spring break.  Still got normal times like Thanksgiving and other Holidays off as usual.

· There still is a "Summer break".  She still had 7 weeks off.  This included all but the first few days of June and 3 weeks in July.  Even our staff, parents and kids normally are complaining of "nothing to do" by the end of July.

One complaint at first from most people was the daycare.  She had a small kid and with all their schools on that schedule it was no different than having it all during the summer.  Daycares adapted to the schedule and allotted more spaces during the weeks off.  They realized they still needed the extra income that summer kids brought in and adjusted. (YMCA credits would be good).

Even the sports worked out.  She didn't have anyone in sports so I don't know the details.  They did work it out though.

I think the most important thing to think about is “is this good for kids?” NCDPI has shared data that suggests year-round schools show higher levels of achievement for children than traditional schools. While the data were not compared by demographics or any variables, there was a higher achievement mean between the two data sets.

What I like about the situation in our district is that the teachers are being asked to give input and the district started with a pilot program to get some insight into the experience of an alternative calendar. When teachers and leaders work together to come up with strategies for working with children, good things can happen.

I want my kids to do well, to be successful, to grow socially and intellectually. It is possible that time could benefit them and us.