School starts way too early!

[AlistarWills]

Yes, this morning I'm highly frustrated as my kids had to start back to school today. I just don't get why it's necessary. I started school back the week before Labor Day and we always played our first football game the Friday after Labor Day. I don't get why kids now have to go till the middle of May and start back the first week of August. We used to get a full 3 months off and now if you blink you missed Summer break. I've seen several teachers from our school proclaim on facebook that they just don't have enough time to teach and get the material covered with the kids, yet somehow my youngest son watched Big Hero 6 no less than 3 times last year in 6th grade, among other movies that they watched. Multiple days were spent playing electronic devices in class. Various "fun days" were had where the kids did absolutely nothing short of walking around on the football field all day. Our government claims we have no money for schools but they are cutting their own throats.
By starting early: you cut off a month of beachgoers spending money, entertainment destinations like minor-league baseball weeknight attendance will drop significantly, theme/water parks have no reason to be open during the days, State parks lose entry fees for people going to the pool, you have to run the A/C on overload for an extra month to cool the building. All these are lost tax revenue or wasted tax revenue. I'm sure others can think of more but these are some that just jump out at me.
A couple years back we had a bill pass that wouldn't let school start any sooner than two weeks before Labor Day. Wish I could find out who sponsored that, or even look at the bill and see if we can't get something rolling to get Summer back. It just really sucks when you are having to make your kids go in and get wound down and ready for bed when there's still light in the sky and things that can be done outside.

 

[Tidewater]

Interesting. Plus, in Alabama, August is a positively ghastly month temperature-wise, so delaying the start of school and thus not air conditioning school buildings might save money. A school day in June would seem to me to be cheaper than one in August, but maybe that is a false impression.

Whenever I see some silly local policy like this, there is usually an even sillier Federal law behind it.

 

[NationalTitles18]

It's pretty much statewide. My kid started today. Some begin next week.

Of course, there are voices crying for year-round school, not the creeping 10 months we have now.

It's pretty much mandated by the state and looking for ways to save and better spend money is punished, not rewarded. Any questioning is seen as an insult to teachers. Nothing gets done. Everyone complains. Rinse and repeat.

 

[BamaFlum]

More time spent on testing, benchmarking, preparing for tests, letting other grades test so everyone else has to do "quiet stuff" so they don't disturb the testers, etc. The emphasis placed on testing and the idea all kids have to go to college is ruining public schools.

 

[RTR91]

The state law in Alabama is for each school to have 180 days of "instruction." I'm not sure if the law has always been that way or not. Most states require 180 days, but some go down to a number in the 170's.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I still don't understand why we still take time off in the summer - it's an outdated concept that has little benefit while being loaded with negatives. Several friends who are teachers complain that they spend the first 4-6 weeks getting the kids back up to speed and refreshing what they have forgotten over the summer.

 

[AlistarWills]

I still don't understand why we still take time off in the summer - it's an outdated concept that has little benefit while being loaded with negatives. Several friends who are teachers complain that they spend the first 4-6 weeks getting the kids back up to speed and refreshing what they have forgotten over the summer.

And to that 4-6 weeks thing I say, they didn't learn it to start with, they just memorized it for a test and forgot it. I used to could do the math required to figure out the pressure on a 4'x6' gate that was at the bottom of a dam under 250' of water. I took the test and got the grade and moved on. A month out of that class and I could no more tell you how to do it than a squirrel could. I never really learned it but I got that grade so I could pass the class.

 

[Jon]

I still don't understand why we still take time off in the summer - it's an outdated concept that has little benefit while being loaded with negatives. Several friends who are teachers complain that they spend the first 4-6 weeks getting the kids back up to speed and refreshing what they have forgotten over the summer.

and my buddy that's a teacher keeps trying to figure out why he's still teaching when the only real perk he ever had, a long summer off, keeps getting shorter and shorter

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I was thinking that, several years ago, the legislature voted to delay the start to after Labor Day to foster more tourism. What happened to that?

 

[RTR91]

I was thinking that, several years ago, the legislature voted to delay the start to after Labor Day to foster more tourism. What happened to that?

I remembered that debate as well. Found Code 16-13-231 that deals with it.

3. Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year and ending with the last day of the third month of the 2013-2014 school year, a local board of education, in providing the minimum required number of instructional days or hours, shall have greater flexibility in establishing the school calendar by adjusting the days or extending the hours of actual teaching or instructional time provided on specified instructional days for the schools under the jurisdiction of the local board. The academic school calendar, established by the local board of education, shall include the minimum required number of instructional days or hours, with the first day of instruction for students no earlier than the Monday two calendar weeks before Labor Day, unless August 31 is a Monday, then on Monday, August 17, and the last day of instruction for students shall be no later than the Friday immediately before Memorial Day.

 

[Go Bama]

I started cutting grass for money when I was 10 years old. I learned how to save and how to work. Also, I played baseball and went to the pool. When organized ball was out of season, there was a pick up game every day at the park. Kids learned how to play with each other without adults.

In Tennessee, we would get out of school around the end of May and resume in August. I'll argue that we didn't forget what had been taught the previous year. As a matter of fact, I don't ever remember any review. By the time school started back, I was ready to see all my old friends that didn't live in my area and at least for the first couple of months school was not such a bore.

Summer break was an important part of being a kid for me. Plant me firmly in the three month break group.

 

[Bodhisattva]

School doesn't start here until Aug 31 - time enough for another week long getaway to Virginia Beach!

 

[SavannahDare]

School started today over in Mississippi too. Mine start here on the 17th. I think they should be in school year-round. Why should learning take such an extended summer break? Divide the year into quarters and give them a couple weeks off between each quarter instead.

 

[Bazza]

School doesn't start here until Aug 31 - time enough for another week long getaway to Virginia Beach!

That's good to hear as
I attended 1 through 10.5 grade
while living in Norfolk and we had a blast for those 3 months off.

As for the debate of whether the school year should be year round - it should be voted on by the parents, IMHO....not decided by some school board or legislators.

Or maybe let the kids vote on it!

 

[TideMom2Boys]

School starts next week in my district. It isn't too early for us. We are all ready for it. Our kids love school and I love the routine of school.

They get out mid May..so they almost had 3 full months off. The ones that don't go back till after Labor Day get out much later.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

School doesn't start here until Aug 31 - time enough for another week long getaway to Virginia Beach!

Funny, I'll be in VA Beach on 8/31...

 

[TIDE-HSV]

School started today over in Mississippi too. Mine start here on the 17th. I think they should be in school year-round. Why should learning take such an extended summer break? Divide the year into quarters and give them a couple weeks off between each quarter instead.

Our German exchange student had a longer school year over there, but they have many more holidays off during the year. He was appalled at how few we had...

 

[bama_wayne1]

I think that summers are important. If families use the time wisely kids can learn to work and get along in a slower paced setting than afforded during school. I actually was able to cut grass and get other summer jobs during our summer breaks. That was many years ago, but from what I see entering the workforce today kids are missing these lessons. All learning is important, but no matter what a person learns, if they don't somehow learn to get along and be productive it will all be wasted. JMHO

 

[RammerJammer14]

I was thinking that, several years ago, the legislature voted to delay the start to after Labor Day to foster more tourism. What happened to that?

Idk about Alabama, but they did that in SC a few years ago. Catch 22 was that school still had to be 180 days so now they don't get out of school until June. Not sure I see the benefit in that case because then you are in school for Memorial Day on the front end. But, as they say in France, say la vee.


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[alabama mike1]

State laws determine only the number of days/hours a school must be in session per year, most are 180 days or over 1,000 hours but a few are longer and some are shorter. In Ohio, where I am a principal, each school district, not the city or county system determines the actual start and stop date. We go an X amount of hours for the year instead of days for the year. We start school on Aug. 24 and end on May 25th. Some schools up here, mostly in the northern part of the state start later, usually after Labor Day and go into early to mid June. Flexibility is the key.

The problem that I see is that we have state legislators that know more about education than the people in education. (I do realize that is some cases that is true) Each state has a superintendent of education so IMO, they should be able to get some county and city superintendents together and come up with a plan that will work for Alabama. IMO, the local school district should be able to determine the beginning and ending of school.

Alabama really needs to look at going on a minimum number of hours per year. If each state did that, they would have time built in for bad weather such as floods, tornadoes, sleet, etc... When we were under the old system of days, we had to make-up any day missed after 5 days. With the hours system we do not have to make up days unless we are not going to get the minimum number of hours required by state law.

Another thing that has been implemented in our state the past two years in called "blizzard bags." This was done because the last two winters have been terrible with heavy snow and very cold temperatures. Alabama could come up with their own name for it but it basically allows teachers to have lesson plans put online ahead of time, 3 days, and students can do the classwork off the computer. Students who do not have access to a computer are allowed time after returning to school to make the work up without penalty. If a parent decides not to have the child do the work, the student is only then counted absent after a period of time.

More later but I must get back to work. I am trying to get a schedule put together because of a new contract with the union.