They Can Open the Windows; There's a Breeze

It's been damn hot on the east coast this week. My kids were sent home from school early yesterday, because the teachers couldn't deal. And my kids have air conditioned rooms! Please keep my kids, people.

Bloomberg refused to close New York City schools yesterday, despite the complaints of the teachers' union Chief Whiner, Randi Weingarten. In his nasal monotone, he told New Yorkers that the kids needed to spend more time at their desks, not less.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "This is going to come as a very big surprise to you, but people of my generation went to schools without air conditioners. ... The schools are being very careful to make sure that safety is maintained in the classroom. They can open the windows; there's a breeze."

A buddy in the city was in Central Park today, and she said that it appeared that the public schools just dumped the kids in the park for the day.

Does any work happen in schools in June?

Comments

[Amy P]

No, not that I recall. My daughter's been out of school since the end of May. They'll go back around August 19, I think.

Time to turn off the AC at City Hall?

[Doug]

Sounds like the heat's gotten to him already. Down South school was always *out* by June. That brings its own set of problems, of course.

[Heather in MN]

I'm shocked your kids are still in school! Here in Minnesota we (4 kids + I'm a teacher) were out on May 29. We start again the day after Labor Day. Is the number of required school days decided by each state? You'd think as a teacher I would know this, but I don't.

H.

[Wendy]

Does any work happen in June? I wish it didn't! The third grade had a play last night, some cheesy thing about the American Revolution. Then they had the academic fair showing all the kids' major projects from the year. My daughter had a "visitor's brochure" on CorruptSmallTown due on Monday, and she waited to the last minute and I hope it gets a bad grade because she's going to have to learn. I believe there's a science test on Monday, and sports day tomorrow, and my son't kindergarten graduation on Monday and recitals and birthday parties and *sob*. Meanwhile I'm trying to teach my own class.

July is looking mighty good.

[Amy P]

Wendy,

How about an annotated genealogy of SmallCorruptTown's officials?

[learner]

Comments from someone who is a parent of a child in an urban public elementary school and daughter of a public school teacher, and irritated to read some of the complaining and flippancy on this topic:

First, please have a little solidarity and think about others and the community, not just your child and family.

Second, I'm amazed that people *complain* when their children participate in theater or musical performances at school. Cheesey? Don't your kids like this sort of thing? Don't you, at some level? Would you rather they cut these programs and never give the children the opportunity to learn the important skills of overcoming the fear or doing something in public, to enjoy music, to work together with their peers on a project?

And isn't it natural for these to be at the end of the year? It takes much time to plan, rehearse, and perfect these.

I hope you are at least polite audiences, rather than the type that whisper complaints while attending.

Third, there are a higher-than usual number of half-days and full days off during June. This is not "doodling off" but rather teachers and principals and staff has a lot of hard work to finalize and summarize what the kids have all learned in the year, figure out which kids need promotion or summer school or retention, figure out what teachers are departing and what teachers are hired for the following year, which kids are with which teachers the following year, etc etc.

Fourth, don't kids learn from doing all the activities they do in school, not just drudging through a book or worksheet? Don't they *like* the field days that they have at the end of the year, the culmination of forming friendships and group dynamics with their peers? I can see that perhaps you might have the luxury of leaving for an earlier and longer summer vacation. If so, then why not just pull the kid out and do it, rather than keep complaining

Fifth, and finally, not all families have that luxury. Families that have single working parents or two parents working full time may be getting "free babysitting" during these hours, but as I've already noted above, school is not all about "work" and is instead all about school.

I should hope that you can come to view school not just about academics and competing to "win" in an individual-based manner, but about children learning about what it means to participate in a community. One thing that communities do is to move through season-to-season and annual cycles together ... isn't that what many workplaces and families (also social entities) do? Don't we want out kids to learn to do that well and richly?

Sixth, by getting out later in June we start later in September. I'm amazed by the southerners who send their kids to school in August. It *is* hot then! Very hot!

[learner]

Also, what is the problem with school children visiting the park? Isn't it a public resource? Aren't school children part of the community? Or do we want to reserve Central Park just for rich people and tourists?

[Amy P]

learner,

You're forgetting the no-AC issue.

[learner]

Okay. The A/C issue. In my opinion, we privileged U.S. citizens and others in the developed world need to be honest. We live on a warming planet and excessive use of A/C is making us warmer. My family spent a lot of time on the stoop and used fans and ate cold food during the recent heatwave and we live in the Bronx. No A/C. It was unpleasant but manage-able. Why would cancelling school make a difference to children such as mine (by choice) and lower income kids? There is not necessarily A/C at home.

Also, I send my kid to a summer camp program that has no air conditioning. They have learned to manage it by keeping the kids well-hydrated, use sprinklers, sun screens, time in the shade. I hate to say it, but I sort of agree with Bloomberg on this one. As I said, this is a time of year when it's probably too late to drill on spelling and multiplication, and after a year of community building why not do community building things that are also geared to fighting the heat?

[Unlearner]

Learner,

The fact that Bloomberg said it proves that it is wrong. Let's go get an air conditioner this weekend.

Unlearner

[Doug]

"As I said, this is a time of year when it's probably too late to drill on spelling and multiplication"

Down South school was always *out* by June. That brings its own set of problems, of course.

But I repeat myself...

[Elizabeth]

Has anyone looked into whether the year round schools (with the same number of days of school, just more evenly distributed through the year, no long summer break) have fewer "wasted" days due to end-of-year-itis?