This article in today’s Denver Post raises an interesting question, will urban schools move towards a 4-day week instead of the traditional 5-day week.
I think it is time for a creative look at school in this country and COVID-19 is forcing schools to re-think how they teach our kids. Last spring did not go well for our kids despite the best effort. They liked the online non-synchronous learning as it allowed them to sleep in and work on their projects and work at their own pace and when they work the best.
But the synchronous learning that they are doing this fall is much more impactful on them and I think they are learning a lot more. They still can do their work when they feel they work best, but they are not missing a beat with the online learning. I think they are liking it better.
One thing that they are doing this fall on online learning is Wednesday is a non-teaching day. The students have work to do by a specific time, but there are no scheduled classes. If a student needs some extra help, the teachers have office hours available.
They were already on a shortened day on Wednesdays. The had a half a day and that allowed the teachers to have a day of planning. It would not be a big stretch for my kid’s school district to go to a 4-day school week. It is something that could be beneficial to the kids and save the district funding while trying to keep all the big buildings cool or warm 5-days a week.
What are your thoughts?
Mile High Soapbox 