The new school-calendar possibilities introduced by the provincial government aren’t the ointment to heal all that ails B.C.’s education system.
But they can be a useful tool in addressing some of its issues.
What remains to be seen is whether the community is too entrenched in its ways to take advantage.
Anyone taking a fresh look from the outside at the system with an eye for efficiency issues could not help but be struck by the fact schools are only used to full capacity for about six hours a day, five days a week, 39 weeks of the year.
But it’s not just the bean-counters who see the potential for improvement.
Educators have long pointed out the dangers of kids being away from their studies too long, and how an extended break hurts the ability to retain lessons.
Add the semester system to summer vacation and teachers are often forced to spend significant time reviewing knowledge that has already been taught, but has faded because of too many months away.
The two-month summer vacation is a relic of giving farm families time off to work the fields. That’s hardly relevant in 2012 Nanaimo. Why not four three-month semesters, each divided with a two-week break? Seven six-week units divided by one- or two-week breaks? Shorter days for students divided into two shifts each day with fewer breaks throughout the day and the year?
There may be good arguments against each of these, but a lot of the objections will come down to habit. What needs to be determined is whether our current school-year habits are good ones.
Priority 1 should be what schedule model works best for learning. Priority 2 should be a cost/benefit analysis.
Community habits should be a distant third.
If the kids are what matters, this is a conversation that needs to take place.
- Cowichan News Leader