To the Editor,
Re: School calendar proposals troubling, March 16.
These proposals certainly are troubling.
The intention seems to be to save money by keeping teachers happy and putting the burden on students, their families and support staff.
What justification is there for two further non-instructional days to discuss district-wide learning initiatives?
Surely enough time is already devoted to teacher development in the form of numerous Pro-D days throughout the year.
No one I have spoken to considered the recent “Success for All” conference to be worth the $63,000 that was spent on it. Information about important initiatives can be shared in other ways that cost next to nothing in this electronic age.
Starting an hour later on Wednesday is another bad idea, disrupting learning and family life for very little, if any, gain.
Students already come home early on Friday. Isn’t this enough?
Instructional time is being whittled (or hacked) away, and “talking about what we do” is a poor substitute for actually “doing.” Teachers need to be in their classrooms as much as possible.
The extended spring break will drastically reduce teaching time and put a considerable burden on families in planning and expense.
If the Nanaimo school district is serious about saving money, it should trim some of the administrative fat and stop throwing money away on social events (Success for All) and image-making (new logo).
These two alone account for at least $87,000 in this supposedly impoverished school district.
Gregory Roscow
Nanaimo