Should Threre be Longer School Days and a Longer School Year?
by As the American education system loses ground to other developed nations, it has been suggested that the the length of school days and school years be increased.
Should there be longer school days and a longer school year? That question is currently being debated by many educationofficials. As the United States loses ground to nations such as Finland, Japan, and even China, increasing the length of instruction time is being considered as a way to keep American education competitive. But will it work? I personally think it could, but only if some reforms take place. These include the removal of homework, improved teacher quality, and increased student motivation.
Homework Should be Minimized or Abolished Completely
If instruction time were to increase, academic work outside of school would, or should, cease to be assigned. If academics are kept inside the school building, then teaching could become more efficient and more would get covered. A longer day would result in all the instruction needed being covered, and this allows students to partake in a healthy array of extracurricular activities. Keeping instruction confined during longer school hours also has students being able to work in a controlled and work-friendly environment, which they may not have at home. Therefore, extending the time spent in school while also cutting out homework would result in students being able to more efficiently learn the material.
Drastically Improve the Quality of Teachers
This point, though vital, may be the most difficult to achieve. This issue is one of the most controversial, and the debate over merit pay is heated on both sides of the aisle. But all in all, I believe that the role of an educator should be enhanced to that of a doctor of lawyer, in that it should be among the most reputable careers in our society. Though it may seem unrealistic, I propose that the standards for hiring be greatly increased, as should teacher compensation. Now how would governments pay for that? Will taxes go up? Perhaps, but the rewards reaped would be great. Better quality teachers would further improve the information that students attain, especially when incorporated into longer school days and school years.
Students Must Embrace the Idea of Learning
This is easier than it sounds. The rewards of an education are staggering: a successful career, an open mind, bigger opportunities to help yourself and others and, simply put, a better life. This concept just needs to be pounded into the heads of the American youth. We can put the best teachers in the classroom and increase instruction time to twelve hours a day, but if students are not willing to learn, American education will never reach its full potential. I therefore suggest that the media flood American homes with propaganda affirming the superior benefits of doing well in school, because making school “cool” again will prove to have the greatest effect on academic performance.
Spending more time at school is a good first step, but some serious alterations need to take place for this concept to work. It is important though to make education our number one priority, because we would be literally investing in the future of our country.
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