9-4 school day has disappeared

Dear Editor: Eighty-five years ago, I attended elementary public school in a two-roomed school in Pine Ridge, Manitoba.

There were 45 students per classroom and the school hours were 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The students spoke many European languages, but they soon learned English to get a good education.

Seventy years ago, when I taught elementary Schools in Flin Flon Man., Edmonton, Calgary and Quebec, I always had around 35 students in my class room. This was not a difficult problem or job, and the hours were 9 to 4. No one assigned home work to elementary students.

I firmly believe that students and young adults who come from caring, ambitious family homes inherit good genes to succeed in life in spite of the lack of a perfect education. Elementary schooling has changed quite a deal across our country. Out west, the school hours have changed from 9 to 4 to 8:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m. Those new hours are making it difficult for the young mothers of today who have to work to make a living. They can’t find a job that will end at 2:30 to be home when the children arrive home.

I can’t imagine children arriving home at the ungodly hour of 2:30 p.m. Most businesses offices are open from 9 to 5.

Was the change for the benefit of the pupils , teachers or the parents?

The 200 teaching days is now reduced to 192. Why were eight days removed? There are five professional days instead of the one I knew towards the end of my teaching career. Classroom sizes are reduced to 24 or less for Grades 1 to 3 and 30 to Grades 4 to 6. Dot Davies Fuhrman

Kelowna