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Courtyard Academy #1
Time Crunch
The more school budgets get cut around the world, the more we have to rely on lectures and reading… and the more students we lose.
A Well-worn Chopping Block
A funny thing happens when school budgets are cut.
Class sizes grow.
Time blocks for core classes like science and math don’t always expand.
Social emotional subjects, homerooms or club classes, or subjects like restorative justice get extra consideration.
Because of the pressure of state testing, however, there tends to be even more information these core classes need to impart. But since there isn’t always time to talk about emotional issues that might get in the way of learning (like discussing your dying dog with a classmate when you’re supposed to be completing 3 pages of math problems before the bell rings), teachers feel pressure to plow through material. More lectures. Less projects that might make learning more imaginative and authentic, because they take more time. But more homework. More reading. More lectures. Even though many students don’t learn best through listening or reading.
