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Old 08-05-2006, 02:02 AM   #1
Cadenza
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Starting school in early August

Caddo Parish teachers go back to school this Monday, August 7. The students soon follow on Wednesday, August 9. Back when school started around Labor Day, students and teachers suffered in the heat for at least a month. Now it is two months at minimum. Yes, the schools are mostly air-conditioned, but many have window units that freeze up and leave us miserable. It also means much more of the budget goes to cooling the schools in the hottest two months of the year.

As a teacher, I would much prefer to go longer in the spring and into June, if necessary, and not return until late August at the earliest, and preferably September. The rationale for going back so soon is so that high school students can take their final exams before the Christmas holiday break. It is apparently believed that they are going to forget everything they learned all semester in two weeks. This doesn't say much for the education system, does it? The powers that be think the kids won't study. Truth be told, those who won't study won't anytime, and those who will, will study even over holidays.

My sister teaches in Texas. She told me they have now passed a law that starting next year, no district is allowed to start school before Labor Day. Sounds like a good plan to me!
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Old 08-06-2006, 03:42 PM   #2
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I agree 100%

Who starts school.. especially this early in August !

now when I went to school back in the day, we didn't start until after Labor day as well.. Of course we used to go to school, sometimes well into June, due to the number of Snow days we used to have.

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Old 08-07-2006, 08:12 PM   #3
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Unhappy Snow days

Although we have a few "snow days" built into the schedule, we almost never use them. I grew up on the Texas coast and we always started in September. I think you could bake cookies in my classroom right now, without a stove or microwave. It isn't so bad in the "wings" where the A/C is central air. But those of us with window units really suffer.

It is also freezing cold on those rare days that the temp drops below normal in winter. My main heater doesn't work and they can't seem to fix it. I just ask the office to announce for the children to be sure they wear coats to music class. I have a small annex type heater that actually looks like a window unit A/C, but it takes all day to make a difference. If it is bitter cold, they will bring in a gas style heater and hope the fire marshall doesn't show up and discover the violation.

I finally invested over $250 of my own money in a remote microphone unit. I was always getting laryngitis trying to talk over the window unit's noise. At least they seem to have finally fixed the leaky roof and got rid of the termites, at least the ones that were visibly swarming.
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Old 08-22-2006, 08:23 PM   #4
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Students should start after Labor Day and go to the end of May without so many holidays during the year. If they must have the holidays then go the first week of June. It is not near as hot as it is in August. School buses are not airconditioned.
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Last edited by Isabella; 08-22-2006 at 08:25 PM.
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Old 08-22-2006, 10:34 PM   #5
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Agreed

Quote:
Originally Posted by Isabella
Students should start after Labor Day and go to the end of May without so many holidays during the year. If they must have the holidays then go the first week of June. It is not near as hot as it is in August. School buses are not airconditioned.
Agree.. school shouldn't start until AFTER labor day. August is still "SUMMER". certainly doesn't feel like the beginning of a school year.

And yes it seems they have more 'holidays' during the school year.


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Old 08-23-2006, 12:19 AM   #6
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holidays

Whether there are "too many holidays" or not is debatable. But in my experience, we have started earlier and earlier without the addition of holidays. Those have stayed the same. I did notice one "fall holiday" this year that we haven't had before...October 13. I don't know what it is for although it does occur at the end of a nine week grading period. If anything, we are getting out earlier in May than before. It is like the whole year has been moved back a few days each year for the past few years.
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