Best of the Fischbowl 2007 - 180 Days - April 13, 2007

This blog really nails the point of how short the school year and how easy time is lost. Check out this Powerpoint showing a breakdown of an average 180 school year. It's shocking to see the limited time available for teaching! Educators must manage their time wisely.

My favorite comment posted referred to a 1997 interview on PBS NewsHour featuring William Goodling, then Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee. Goodling was quoted, "you don't fatten cattle by weighing them. You don't speed up a car by putting in one more speedometer. You don't help children learn by offering one more test." Wow! Well said! Very true! As a parent, I can't keep up with the tests Hannah takes -- CRT, SAT, ARMT, Writing Assessments... The list goes on and on. I don't see how her teacher's have time to TEACH from reviewing for the next test!

Fisch's powerpoint, "180 Days", refers to the number of days lost because of school functions such as pep rallies. Personally, I feel these functions are important even though they have no educational purpose. Social skills are important, too. Fisch didn't include days lost because of field trips. Field trips are a GREAT way to make learning fun. Take a child to the Exploreum and then test them. They'll give you every detail of what they learned ... PLUS what they had for lunch, who sat by who on the bus, and who got in trouble and for what! Learning plus social skills!
Overall, the plain fact is -- time for teaching is limited. Organize lesson plans to make the most of the time available. Enjoy the fun stuff such as pep rallies and field trips. Finally, while students are testing, you might as well use it to YOUR advantage. Think positive -- catch up on email, shop eBay, or browse Fischbowl for the latest on e-stuff (i.e. 21st century learning tools, del.icio.us, twitter, or World Cafe).