Imagine a seven-year-old whose parents work until five each night. When she arrives home after school, she is on her own. She’s a good girl, but still a lot of things could happen. She could get into trouble just by being curious. Or something could happen through no fault or her own. All over the country, there are many “latchkey” children like this little girl. Some way must be found to deal with the problem. One suggestion is to keep elementary schools open longer than they now are. There are many advantages to this idea.
Parents wouldn’t have to be in a state of uneasiness about whether their child is safe and happy at home. They wouldn’t get uptight about whether their child’s needs are being met. They also wouldn’t have to feel guilty …show more content…
Even so, the longer school day would benefit children as well. Obviously, the dangers of their being home alone after school would disappear because by the time the bus dropped them off after the longer school day, at least one parent would be home. The unnameable horrors feared by parents would not have a chance to happen. Instead, the children would be in school, under trained supervision. There, they would have a chance to work on subjects that give them trouble. In contrast, when my younger brother had difficulty with subtraction in second grade, he had to struggle along because there wasn’t enough time to give him the help he needed. The longer day would also give children a chance to participate in extracurricular activities. They could join a science club, play on a softball team, sing in a school chorus, take an art class. Because school districts are trying to save money, they often cut back on such extracurricular activities. They don’t realize how important such experiences are.
Finally, the longer school day would also benefit teachers. Having more hours in each day would relieve them of a lot of pressure. This longer workday would obviously require schools to increase teachers’ pay. The added salary would be an incentive for teachers to stay in the
Parents wouldn’t have to be in a state of uneasiness about whether their child is safe and happy at home. They wouldn’t get uptight about whether their child’s needs are being met. They also wouldn’t have to feel guilty …show more content…
Even so, the longer school day would benefit children as well. Obviously, the dangers of their being home alone after school would disappear because by the time the bus dropped them off after the longer school day, at least one parent would be home. The unnameable horrors feared by parents would not have a chance to happen. Instead, the children would be in school, under trained supervision. There, they would have a chance to work on subjects that give them trouble. In contrast, when my younger brother had difficulty with subtraction in second grade, he had to struggle along because there wasn’t enough time to give him the help he needed. The longer day would also give children a chance to participate in extracurricular activities. They could join a science club, play on a softball team, sing in a school chorus, take an art class. Because school districts are trying to save money, they often cut back on such extracurricular activities. They don’t realize how important such experiences are.
Finally, the longer school day would also benefit teachers. Having more hours in each day would relieve them of a lot of pressure. This longer workday would obviously require schools to increase teachers’ pay. The added salary would be an incentive for teachers to stay in the