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@Mamaof2: wuuuut that is amazing! We never had that at our schools! I'm sure this is a common problem! A 9:00 start time is LATE for a lot of people. And a 4:00 end time is early for MANY!
eta: i'm just thinking that a lot of parents don't have the privilege to choose what they do like all of us are in a situation to
Sorry i dragged us off topic a bit!
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@Mrs. Lion: I would extend the school year, for one. I get that we all loved having summers off as kids, but the rest of the world has moved on from this concept and we should as well, in order to make sure our kids are competitive.
I know a lot of teachers in the US think this is a terrible idea, but it's working in other parts of the world.
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@blackbird: we have before and after school in all of our schools here too. I can't believe places dont! Most of ours are run by the local YMCAs. It would be really hard for a lot of families without those programs. I can totally see your frustration!
@looch: I don't think it is a terrible idea. The problem is that many people who want an extended school year want to leave teacher salaries the same. We already have such a hard time funding schools that without a big tax increase it isn't possible, and most people aren't ok with raising taxes.
I grew up in and taught in a year round program, where instead of one long summer we got 3 weeks off every 9 weeks. Kids whose parents work during that time can attend "track out" camps which run full day from 7-6. It's still expensive, a little cheaper than traditional daycare because the ratios are much bigger, but it is more managable to pay for 3 week chunks spread out through the year than 3 solid months. I am sure that is really tough on families.
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@Mrs. Lion: I think there is room for negotiation on increasing salaries and the resultant higher property taxes, if the teachers are underpaid compared to the other working people in town when you stretch the salary over 12 months.
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@looch: It's hard for me to compare where I live to other states, because we are non-union here and are at the very bottom of the pay totem pole when comparing to other places.... But teachers don't just work when the kids are there. Some suggestions here for extending the school year would mean taking away teacher work days and professional development days to add more instructional time, which is ridiculous. If you factor in the amount of time an average teacher works outside of the paid school day, it easily makes up for a lot of the time off. And the numbers I have seen, when comparing teacher salaries to the salaries of other people with comparable education and experience in other fields, teaching salaries are already laughably low. But that may just be in NC. I know a lot of states pay their teachers a lot more competitively.
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@Mrs. Lion: Yes, I understand that the work day extends outside the time when the kids are in school. And so does my work day, I don't get paid for the extra hours I put in. I have been at my desk at midnight before, working a release. I've had to give up weekends before, to make sure that things are ready for a Monday morning conversion, or whatever else is going on. That is a fact of working life for a lot of people. We don't all clock out at 40 hours.
I am all about fair and living wages. But it can't be done in a vaccum, it has to be able to be supported by the local economy.
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@looch: I totally get that. You are exactly right about it not taking place in a vacuum. This is part of a much bigger discussion about policy and societal values. I think any job that regularly (on a daily basis) requires 9-10 hour work days but does not compensate for that additional time is a problem, not just in education...and honestly, taking away family time by requiring extended work hours actually harms overall education because it has the potential to weaken the ability for families to provide support.
Sorry to go off on a tangent! This was totally not the intent of this thread
I do wish though that more employers had family friendly policies that allowed for parents (not just moms) to get into the classroom more often. Maybe extended lunch hours a few times a month,, or something along those lines.
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To go back to the original question, I am actually thinking about the opposite scenario, reducing my work when DD starts school. I WOH FT for the first 2 1/2 years of her life as I was the breadwinner, and now have dropped down to 30 hours. Our financial situation will be changing when she is ready to start kindergarten, so I am considering the possibility of either dropping further to 20 hours during the school day or leaving work entirely. My parents both worked FT out of the home my whole life so I didn't have the parent who was around after school, and it is sort of appealing. We will be at the point where my income will not contribute much so we will see what happens in another two years.
I do wish though that more employers had family friendly policies that allowed for parents (not just moms) to get into the classroom more often. Maybe extended lunch hours a few times a month,, or something along those lines.
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