Due to staff shortage and teachers feeling burnout, schools are now embracing school only 4 day week? In your opinion what are the pros and cons?

[Lucy68]

What are the pros and cons to this decision being made and if you are or were a parent with school aged children how would you feel about your child only attending school 4 days a week? Is this a selfish decision being a made or a reasonable decision?

Some teachers love the idea that school will be available Tuesday and Fridays, with Monday considered a day for teachers to catch up on work, and students to recharge. However, some parents are not okay with this saying it's a ridiculous decision. The reasoning for this is due to teachers not only feeling burnout but there's also a higher increase in teacher shortages happening nationwide. The solution, going to school Tuesday through Fridays. Schools will open for children to be fed on Mondays.

Updates

7 mo

Also for those that want to I was inspired to create another question about what solutions should be put into place. I'll link it here, and feel free to check it out ☺️

Due to an increase in teacher shortages/ teachers quitting their jobs due to burnout, what are some ways to prevent this? ↗

[Andres77]

My daughter’s’ school did this. As long as the kids are old enough to not need daycare and the transportation is arranged, we loved it.

they had more time to get their homework done. We had more time to do things with each other. And fridays were set aside for dedicated tutoring or remedial classes.

[Jamie05rhs]

Now the parents will demand a 4-day workweek. Lol.

[Andres77]

Suddenly we’re French. Wtf?

[Jamie05rhs]

@Andres77 Lol

[exitseven]

Just a scam by the teachers union to work even less than they already do. I worked in a K-12 school system and also taught at the college level. They work 180 days and 3 more for professional development. As soon as the busses left they were all peeling out of the parking lot. They would get angry when you told them what a soft touch they have

[Cubus]

I think this won't work, because someone has to take care of that child on that 5th day, and parents are often at work.

[Lucy68]

Mind me asking but how do Polish schools operate

[KrakenAttackin]

Poland is a very traditional society with mother's who actually want to raise their kids.

[Cubus]

@KrakenAttackin What do you mean?

[AmeerX]

I remember when they turned to 5 days week in my school. Initially we were happy but they increased the burden by dividing 6 days work on 5 days and it was really tiring. The reason of saving fuel of transport and electricity was just stupid.

[Anonymous]

FFS. And we're legally obliged to send out kids to the institutions. How are parents suppose to work?

Wouldn't it be better if the funding followed the child. Home schooling with professional tutors then becomes more accessible for the many and the parents get to see what the childr is learning and ongoing assessment of their progress without some school board getting to hide it all.

[OddBeMe]

Not being a parent, I can only speculate. But moving away from harvest schedules for schools would be a good thing.

1) kids aren’t fully cognizant until 9ish, so maybe no 7am class.
2) homework actually hinders learning
3 ) in France lunchtime is a course where they teach manners and nutrition…
4) and finally sure, I really don’t see why 4 days would be that much diff. Give teachers a relax day.

[Anemone978]

I think it is fine because I get more time with them on Fridays because it is half day and pickup isn't super busy like on regular 3:30 pickups..
If both parents work tho it might be a bit annoying trying to find someone to collect them..

[inhua]

the pros include getting students away from being indoctrinated with communist brainwashing

the cons include parents having to reflect on their parenting strategies which honestly is not even a con

[KrakenAttackin]

Fuck, teachers are off four months a year as it is!

[musicbrain5]

We are?

[KrakenAttackin]

@musicbrain5 All summer, two weeks at Christmas, Fall break and Spring break.

[Lucy68]

@musicbrain5 are you a teacher, if so as someone who's mom is a teacher and knew a lot of teachers personally we thank you for your sacrifice. We know it's not easy and you guys deserve more respect.

[musicbrain5]

Well, when you put it that way, yes. However, at this school I only get Christmas and summer, and it totals about 9 weeks on average. But that’s just the schedule my school administration sets out for teachers, students get more breaks and days off. I’m not in the US, so I can’t speak to what happens there, but none of our breaks are paid by the board. Fair enough, we aren’t working so we should not be paid. Stretching 9.5 months of salary over 12 months is not exactly easy in this town though, let me tell you, LOL.

But with all the unpaid time I have to spend before and after school, and on my personal time, doing planning and prep, it makes up for at least the chunk of summer when we’re out of session. A balanced year with no huge summer break would make my entire life so much easier. Perhaps students could move to the 4 day model and we teachers could take that 5th day to actually get stuff done and have more quality PD selection to improve as educators, instead of the bullshit seminars admins make us do once a month and over the spring break.

[KrakenAttackin]

@musicbrain5 Unfortunately, here in the U. S. school has become indoctrination not education.

[musicbrain5]

@Lucy68 I am a teacher, and so is my husband. I wouldn’t say it’s a sacrifice - I’m not spilling my blood in the military here - but it’s an adventure every single day. Especially for my husband, he’s a high school teacher. He had a knife pulled on him on the second day of school for god sake.

[Lucy68]

@musicbrain5 And that is why I respect teachers, and blame the parents

[Avicenna]

I think the general work week should be 4 days to begin with (not just for teachers).

Anyone who thinks teachers have four months off or does no work outside of the regular school day is delusional.

[Avicenna]

* do

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's fair to the parents. They expect their kids to be in school Monday through Friday as most parents have a regular 9 to 5 job where they work Monday through Friday. Doing this will screw up a lot of homes.

[Lucy68]

Due to an increase in teacher shortages/ teachers quitting their jobs due to burnout, what are some ways to prevent this? ↗

[gorydetails]

Working parents are fucked. Thanks to Biden's disastrous fiscal policies, people can barely make ends meet now, how are they going to come up with daycare

[Lucy68]

You just inspired me to start another question.

[Lucy68]

Due to an increase in teacher shortages/ teachers quitting their jobs due to burnout, what are some ways to prevent this? ↗

[whirled_up_girl]

I think it could be difficult on parents who work a Monday through Friday job.

[Lucy68]

The good ones that discipline their children to have respect I feel for them, the ones that don't well maybe if they discipline their child then teachers would not feel burnout and we wouldn't have teacher shortages so to the ones that don't discipline your children good luck finding child care #sorrynotsorry

[whirled_up_girl]

Yeah true.