School Daze: Something New

With fuel prices at outrageous levels, why don't we here in West Virginia try something new that perhaps the rest of the nation may also want to consider?

I have two thoughts on this subject.

Either extend the school hours by two hours a day and let the children go to school for four days a week. Or extend the school hours by two hours a day and change the summer vacation times.

Summer vacation time was invented back in the 1800's because children were needed to help with the farm work. Well, my idea is a little bit different.

Why not have two different "break" periods? One from the middle of July until the middle of September. And the other break from the middle of December until the middle of February. My thoughts on this would be that during the winter break, the children could spend more quality time with their parents during the Christmas season. Plus with the way natural gas prices are, then we as a state taxpayer would not have to spend so much on heating of the schools. So that idea is two-fold.

Now all you sports "junkies" would still keep on a regular schedule, so don't worry about that thought. But realistically better education, combined with lower costs can only add up to better management of our school system's.

I also feel that with the children doing two hours more per day that this will lead to less of the "latch-key" kids problem and be more in line with the parents normal working schedule. Thus, children would be better supervised with an adult present.

But the overall picture is really what I am looking at here. For I feel that the children would get a better education. And as Michelangelo was quoted as saying, " A man paints with his brain, not with his hands." Think about that one!