Just curious...

[Ken Morgan]

The Finn’s are top in almost all categories, yet they start school at 7 years old.

In the District I was in, in NY State, there were no recesses, no breaks at all, accept for 30 minutes of lunch. Drill and kill. The Board I’m in, in Ontario has a morning recess, a lunch recess and an afternoon recess, yet Canada constantly beats the US in test scores……

After two months of summer break, kids lose 40% of what they learned, but that doesn’t have to happen. See there is this thing called parents, they spend 80 – 85% of the time in a given year with their kids, a novel idea…how about get the parents to actually give a damn about their kids, instead of trying to let teachers and school raise them? Make the kids read over the summer, make them do math, pay attention to them and hold the kids responsible for completing the work.

 

[Blade96]

The Finn’s are top in almost all categories, yet they start school at 7 years old.

In the District I was in, in NY State, there were no recesses, no breaks at all, accept for 30 minutes of lunch. Drill and kill. The Board I’m in, in Ontario has a morning recess, a lunch recess and an afternoon recess, yet Canada constantly beats the US in test scores……

After two months of summer break, kids lose 40% of what they learned, but that doesn’t have to happen. See there is this thing called parents, they spend 80 – 85% of the time in a given year with their kids, a novel idea…how about get the parents to actually give a damn about their kids, instead of trying to let teachers and school raise them? Make the kids read over the summer, make them do math, pay attention to them and hold the kids responsible for completing the work.

I'd like to ADD, pun intended to your post here that these lessons need not seem like summer school either. Parents can play games with their kids where they are using their maths. Or reading things, (such as Scrabble) or even buying things at the store. its using maths. So that kids are having fun during their holidays but reviewing their lessons at the same time.

 

[granfire]

The Finn’s are top in almost all categories, yet they start school at 7 years old.

In the District I was in, in NY State, there were no recesses, no breaks at all, accept for 30 minutes of lunch. Drill and kill. The Board I’m in, in Ontario has a morning recess, a lunch recess and an afternoon recess, yet Canada constantly beats the US in test scores……

After two months of summer break, kids lose 40% of what they learned, but that doesn’t have to happen. See there is this thing called parents, they spend 80 – 85% of the time in a given year with their kids, a novel idea…how about get the parents to actually give a damn about their kids, instead of trying to let teachers and school raise them? Make the kids read over the summer, make them do math, pay attention to them and hold the kids responsible for completing the work.

I'd like to ADD, pun intended to your post here that these lessons need not seem like summer school either. Parents can play games with their kids where they are using their maths. Or reading things, (such as Scrabble) or even buying things at the store. its using maths. So that kids are having fun during their holidays but reviewing their lessons at the same time.

One point tho you forget: The average family needs 2 incomes and the average worker only gets 2 weeks of paid vacation a year....

(BTW, I think the 3 month summers are a hold over from when the kids were needed at the house/farm to do chores and help support the family...)


I think the Finn system is very different from US schools (and most of Europe for that matter) not alone that they start later...

 

[Blade96]

My mother's a teacher.....I havent forgotten.

 

[Cryozombie]

Unions ended sweatshop conditions and 18 hour work days.

True that. Groups like the IWW and their kith and kin made working conditons in America Safer and more tolerable.

But these are not the same Unions that harassed and threatend moviegoers at my local theater, then went in and slashed the seats and broke the toilets because the theater had a choice: Close, or stop using Union projectionists.

Those are also not the same Union workesthat threaten me and my roommate when we got to prewire and install Televisions, Home Automation and Sound systems in downtown chicago because we are doing Labor on their site and don't belong to a union. (even tho there is no union that covers us, and most of these guys cannot do what we are doing)

Nor were they the same Unions that almost got me kicked out of a Con one time, and caused me to forfiet my pay for the events I ran that year BEACUSE I PLUGGED IN A "BOOM BOX" TO A WALL OUTLET AND DIDN'T HUNT DOWN ONE OF THE UNION ELECTRITIONS ON SITE TO PLUG THE DAMN THING IN FOR ME. (and no, there was no regulation in the rules that said I had to do that)

Now, don't get me wrong, Unions have their place, when speaking for workers and maintaining a postive work atmosphere. But Companies should not be required to use them, Employees should not be forced to join them... and they certainly should not be political entities.

 

[granfire]

Did anybody see the piece by Katy Couric today?

The remote hijacker was home so I didn't get but bits and pieces...