Are You Kidding Me?
From My Side of the Desk:
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Last Friday I almost gave myself a concussion. No, I wasn’t roller skating, climbing trees or, knowing my clumsiness, merely strolling up the street with my 180-pound Newfoundland, Tommy. This minor medical condition was a result of a head-slapping “No Duh!” moment after reading the drop head: “Proponents say officials should consider academic, health benefits in decision” under the headline, “School Board to study later high school start times” in the Fairfax County Times (April 20-22, 2012). Should consider these factors? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Nothing, nothing is more important than students’ academic, physical, mental and emotional health.
Yes, the costs of making such a change are crucial. So are such considerations for the youngest students as: Waiting at bus pick-ups in the dark and after school care. A solution regarding a proposed very late end time for middle school students that's amenable to all concerned must be found, too. As for athletic practices, although these are important, they should not attain top billing. That’s for academics-the reason schools exist in the first place. Football, baseball, basketball, tennis, swimming and diving, gymnastics, track, lacrosse, golf, etc. wouldn’t even be a consideration if institutions for reading, writing and arithmetic didn’t exist. And as a veteran teacher, let me reiterate the views of my colleagues in the classroom trenches: First period kids do try to sleep creating the need for repeated breaks from lessons to keep them from drowning in their puddles of drool. Valuable teaching time is lost every day due to tardiness, zombie-like teenage behavior and the lack of students’ ability to concentrate.
Another major concern that affects adolescents’ well-being is the latchkey time between the last school bell and the moment mom or dad open the garage door. According to www.afterschoolallstars.org, kids are three times more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors during these unsupervised hours, no matter how strongly parents have instilled house rules and expectations in their children. According to this site, these are the hours when juvenile as well as violent victim crimes rise. So does experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex. To borrow the format from the Direct TV commercials: “When your children get bored, they come down with the stupids. When they come down with the stupids they risk making harmful decisions. When they make harmful decisions they jeopardize their futures. Don’t let your children jeopardize their futures. Switch to later end of school times for teenagers.” We adults might enjoy a chuckle or two when we trip down the Memory Lane of our high school days, but we can rest assured that our parents sure weren’t laughing at our antics. Today’s moms and dads aren’t laughing, either.
Although that last paragraph reads like a conclusion for the reasons that middle and high schools should start at a later time, it does not end my frustration with the lack of common sense in some School Board members’ thoughts in this article. One member asked for more time to discuss the issue with the public before setting the later start time issue as a goal. Does this person mean that the last TEN YEARS haven’t offered enough time and evidence, either pro or con, to make a decision? Not one of the concerns that I recapped in the above paragraphs is new to anyone who has followed this debate or who has had to deal with teenagers during the before and after school hours.
Think about this: A decade ago, the children comprising the Class of 2012 were second graders. In that length of time they have gone from adding and subtracting to Advanced Calculus; they have mastered early readers and moved on to comprehending writings from Aristotle to Kafka to Zuzak. They have survived puberty and turned their backs on their Big Wheels for Real Wheels and drivers’ licenses. They have morphed from playing with Barbie and Ken to emulating Barbie and Ken.
How much time is needed to make a decision? Statistics show that teachers make an academic or behavioral decision every three seconds. Students aren’t allotted ten years to understand Quantum Physics, to get Algebra, to understand and explain Shakespearean subtexts or to analyze the causes and effects of World War II.
Speaking of World War II, the United States’ involvement, from the first deployment to the final shot, was three years and nine months. Alan Shepard soared into space on May 5, 1961. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon on July 20, 1969- allowing eight years and two and a half months for NASA to research, engineer and devise what it would take to reach this lofty goal. Our Presidents and their administrations have four years to make critical national and international decisions that have global effects; eight if they are re-elected. Medical personnel deal with seconds to make a life-saving choice.
Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin on September 28, 1928 after searching for anti-bacterial agents since the end of World War I. Okay, his research covered ten years, the same time various county School Board members have studied the later start times issue, but Fleming’s discovery is considered one of, if not THE most important discovery in the 20th Century. Although a later start time (Should we or shouldn’t we?) is of major importance to county residents, it does not meet the caliber of penicillin.
Sir Fleming had the will and commitment to stay the course until he came up with “the most efficacious life-saving drug in the world,” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming). After reading and rereading the Fairfax County Times article, I must admit that I worry about the determination and dedication some School Board members are giving the start time issue. In the story, one member was quoted as saying, “This is something that can be done. We just have to have the will and commitment to see this through.”
Excuse me while I slap myself in the head again. I’m experiencing another ARE YOU KIDDING? moment. Parents have been fighting for this. Students beg for this. Teachers dream about this. It was even the topic in a Curtis cartoon in today’s (4/24/2012) Washington Post.
How many more months, how many more taxpayer dollars for another study does the School Board need to commit? The time for vacillation is more than over. Please! Just… make… a… DECISION! My brain can’t take any more ARE YOU KIDDING? head shots.
Until next week,
Connie
www.teachitwrite.com
Harper Dinsmore
1:16 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Connie Casserly has once again gone to the heart of an issue. Clearly and humorously, she gives examples of how monumental advances in science took fewer than the 10 years needed by the School Board to decide on a later start time. Connie could have also mentioned the trendy late arrivals so students can buy sloshing, foaming buckets of frappacinos, lattes, espressos, americanos which they proceed to carry through the halls and classrooms, inevitably making huge messes of floors, desks and backpacks. (Yes, one of my students did try to carry his morning java in his backpack to find it had exploded. As in . . ."Teacher, Starbucks ate my homework!") Plus, students are not eating breakfast, but are unpack entire lunch buffets on desks to eat during first period. So--what do we really want here? Students ready to learn or students living according to bio-rhythms of adults who no longer need to sleep 8-12 hours at a crack? If Board members have any doubts, please show up first period at Anyhighschool USA. Oh, and watch out for the zombie walkers carrying scalding liquids. ---Harper Dinsmore, Oregon
Mary
10:22 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
As a high school student I completely agree. I think that is the problem with FCPS is they don't seem to have their priorities straight. I understand that rerouting the buses will be painful, but I don't think they realize how much pain I'm in during first period. Teenagers actually naturally go to sleep later than other ages and with so much homework they will literally crash from having no sleep. I know a lot of kids who are forced to wake up at 5 am which is ridiculous. Also if they are worried about elementary school kids' lives while waiting for the bus does that mean they think teens can defend themselves? I doubt Fairfax County Prison System whoops I mean Public schools will actually make this happen for the the 2012-2013 school year!
Mike
10:24 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
I see someone dragged out the dead horse, and is handing out sticks again.
Barb Welsh
7:37 am on Saturday, April 28, 2012
As much as I concur that their sleep cycle is different, I'm not convinced that started later would change things, as I wonder if it would just give license for kids to just stay up even later than they already did and just move the same problem up later in the morning...but I've got to think there must be some sort of compromise that can meet halfway..
Julia
6:29 pm on Saturday, April 28, 2012
First, I would resist lumping all students into the same group - they don't all come dragging into school with Starbucks and wouldn't all simply abuse the extra sleep time by staying up even later - many parents are actively monitoring and instructing their child's teenage years. My high school kids' bus times have been at 6:15 am. They walk out of this house in pitch darkness for most of the school months. We would all benefit from the later start time. FCPS made an attempt at this a few years ago by sending up trial balloons as they worked on possible bus schedules to support later start times. However, what was offered to Oakton students was a later start time, but essentially the same bus times (get the busses back to the neighborhoods to support middle and elementary student pick-ups). Therefore, all students dependent on the bus for transportation would've had their day lengthened not shortened compared to driven/driving students. If the studies are correct, then the driven students would have an academic advantage. Not the solution people are looking for.
George Taplin
6:49 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Wow, what a great letter. Unfortunately, Mrs. Casserly has provided no EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE to support her claims. This is a heartwarming letter designed to appeal to people's emotions, but it ignors some basic facts. 1. Not all students stay up late or try to sleep in class, and there are students that will continue to sleep in class regardless of school start or end times; 2. Not all students are latchkey students, and designing a "solution" for one class of individuals is discriminitory on its face; 3. Students would not be staying up late to do homework if teachers would teach in class like they used to instead of offloading their responsibilities and loading down the students with homework that does nothing to raise the students' overall performance; 4. It is our responsibility as educators and parents to help our children learn everything they can to help them prosper as adults in our society and trying to make everything easier on them instead of instilling a sense of responsibility is not doing them any favors. (continued in next comment)
George Taplin
6:49 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
I think the debate over school starting times is superfluous to the real issues like student performance, instilling responsibility, and preparing our children to thrive in the world. The world isn't fair and everyone needs to get over that and get on with their lives - deal with the reality. Nobody in the real world would think of changing work start times to accomodate a group of workers, and giving school students the idea that the world will accomodate them is instilling in them false expectations and promoting a sense of entitlement. As an educator, I believe that teachers should teach what they are hired to teach, parents should be parents, and students should be students. Concentrate on your area of expertise and stop worrying about things you can do nothing about. Teachers need to stop dictating how to raise children and simply do their jobs.
Connie Casserly
2:49 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012
First of all, I want to thank everyone for responding. I do so appreciate your thoughts and viewpoints. My purpose in this blog was not to discuss the Starting Times issue yet again, but to use it as a vehicle to plead with the School Board to just make a decision, as I stated in the last paragraph. I offered no empirical evidence on the issue because it all has said again and again over the last ten years, by people much more knowledgeable on the various issues than I am. My intent wasn't to drag out that dead horse again; I apologize to my readers if I didn't make that clear. No more studies... no more discussion: just committment to a decision, either yay or nay (neigh?). I just want those in charge to put this issue to rest. As for your second comment, Mr. Taplin, I agree 100% with your comments. False expectations and the sense of entitlement hurts children and negates the incredible efforts of teachers who only wish to inspire kids to think, to love to learn and to become responsible, reliable adults who can make decisions. When I led a classroom, I never desired to dictate how to raise children, and neither did the colleagues I knew, but we did want parents to quit asking us to do so. As for homework- it should build on what students have learned, reveal their ability to think and analyze, and show what students still need to comprehend. It should never, ever be busy work.
Keep reading and keep responding, please.
Connie
George Taplin
6:26 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Thank you Mrs. Casserly. My apologies for taking your message out of context - and I agree with you: the board should make a decision and move on. There are too many other important issues to grapple with to keep on bringing up this issue. Thank you for staying on top of this.
Connie Casserly
2:52 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012
Whoops... "False expectations and the sense of entitlement hurt(no s).... and negate (no s)".
Connie