Today is the first Furlough Friday in Hawaii and parents are outraged that their kids are missing out on school, as are teachers. Okay, so I'm not a fan of the idea either, and I'm in the camp that thinks the kids shouldn't have even on the table during whole mess, but time out.It occurred to me when I read this post in the Molokainews blog that we could use the furlough to our advantage and turn it into a good thing. There's more than one way to educate a child, and this could be an opportunity to teach children something they would be unlikely to learn in a classroom.
I thought about the things I was exposed to as a child that has stayed with me all these years, and I remembered zoos, museums, snorkeling, sailing, cooking, hanging out with my dad at work... all of these taught me something.
I realize parents are busy and suddenly having their kids out of school with nothing to do on a Friday is messy and disruptive, but perhaps the communities and non-profits (or for-profits) could get involved and sponsor programs to involve kids in ongoing projects, or we could simply let them hang out with us at work. Imagine the life skills we could be teaching them on their days off.
Controversy aside, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
2 comments:
Hi Peter,
We have kicked around the idea too. A mentoring program would need to be established that ensures parents of continuity and commitment. Last minute schedule changes would make planning for their furloughed student resist committing to a program and lack of student participation would be costly time wise to the mentors - catch 22.
THe other far reaching affects of the furloughs include a a serious compromise to our already delicate ecosystem and the Dept. and individuals dedicated to protecting it. If there was a way to sustain the programs while fostering education it could prove to be a win win.
THe ideal endeavor would require a great deal of volunteerism among furloughed teachers, parents and field educators.
Our challenges of our time are happening at a faster rate than our schools ability to develop curriculum for future grad students. Field learning in environmental ecology, renewable energy, and government economy would be an education worth it's weight in furlough hours.
As we might see the gold from the brass in this furlough crisis, we must still remain diligent in revealing and troubleshooting the errors in Govmnt. that brought this about. There should be creative problem solving right now but there needs also to be accountability for the underlying problem.
aloha,
Lauraine
There is no question that parents have been thrown a curve ball and the ultimate losers are not the furloughed (remember, they still have jobs) but the real losers are the children of this state. Just about every elected official in the State of Hawaii has on their platform that they are "for the keiki" and "for education". Yeah. Sure they are.
Elected officials have failed us. No surprise there. Now, people
(including government and those same elected officials) are looking towards the private sector for help. And of course they are, the private sector gets things done by holding people accountable. There is no accountability for government officials and their failures other than our vote which is dismal(less than 50% of registered voters voted in the last election).
So now we have our children losing a part of their education that is mandated by law. Yes, mandated.
Involving the private sector is great. But who pays? What are the logistics? Who takes care of whom? There are many questions. I love the idea of parent volunteers. I love the fact that some parents can show their workplace to children. I love the idea of parents in large groups rallying together with even larger groups of children and actively engaging them in learning and in social activities. But the ultimate question is "Can the private sector accommodate this in lost productivity and income from their "taking time off to care for the keiki" in these dire economic times?
Probably not in the vast majority of cases.
Sorry keiki of Hawaii. We, that is all of us have failed you. Your government, your parents employers, and we the voters (your parents) who continue to vote the same people in, or who don't even bother to vote at all.
Enjoy your school year of 158 days. It's now shortest school year in the nation.
Naugusta
Post a Comment