It's October, and my kindergarten son is getting ready to head back to school after his first break of the year. Yep! He started on July 11th, backpack on as we headed the two blocks to his first day of elementary school. And oh, what controversy! You'd think with a modified calendar that started in 1996 it would be of little conversation at this point. So why are people still buzzing about it?
Governor Joe Manchin visited Piedmont Elementary School the day after school started. He talked to the kids, the teachers, and went back to the state house and said "Hey, this is a great program. We should consider it state-wide." Click for Article
And then the media and bloggers a-splode. The biggest issue: the current public school system is a flawed, wasteful system. So we gotta fix it before modifying the calendar. Well, maybe.
But here's what I've experienced thus far in our modified year: Did you know that kindergarteners have homework? EVERY NIGHT? And it's fun, like "draw a picture of your family and write their names underneath." And... extra work was sent home for break. Approximately one page per day of matching, word or number recognition, and the like. So maybe it's not so much the calendar, but forcing parents to engage with their kids. And it's easier to stick with it when it's only three weeks instead of three months!
Another praise for Piedmont: the principal, Steve Knighton, knows the kids. He says hi, calls them by name, and genuinely cares for them.
After thinking about the year-round school buzz and the controversy that some are creating from it, I can't say that it's THE solution for our public school system. But when you get the right combination it just seems to work.
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