Opportunities

One impetus for the strike was conditions of the "full school day" initiative.  What extra opportunities do the students get?  Although the school offers all of the "core" subjects (math, English, science, social studies), there is only limited time each day for additional experiences.  Students get one hour each week of gym, music, library, computer, and art.  There was no music teacher last year but a new one was hired for this year.  The music curriculum is a "general music" experience; there is no band or choir.  Some of the library and computer time is spent on testing (they take 3 "progress" tests each year and the state tests toward the end of the school year).  The library is usually scheduled with classes from the various grade levels so students do not have "free time" in the library.  Likewise, the computer lab is heavily scheduled so classes or students cannot go in there during the school day.  There are no student activities after school.  In prior years there were parent volunteer coaches for girls volleyball and boys basketball.  Those parents are no longer coaching the teams.  There is talk this year of a cross country team for both boys and girls if there is enough interest.  There are no programs for "gifted" students and no special interest groups for students in the older grades.  There may be a "student council" formed later in the year to organize two in-school dances and a few academic teams might form, too (e.g., book club, cinema club, and math club).  To me, the school day seems "basic."  I know I had more required or elective opportunties in the middle grades.  When I taught 8th grade, those students, too had more opportunities.  It is unfortunate that these students can't have more opportunities to study journalism, ecology, computers, band, choir, foreign language, etc. while they are in the middle grades.