In this episode, we’re talking about the hard reality of American school schedules and why it sucks, especially for working parents. Imagine the sigh of relief from working parents if school and work schedules actually played nice together?
Let's start by taking a little trip down memory lane. Public schooling in the USA has been around for a hot minute, just over a century, to be precise. But when it comes to desegregation, well, that took its sweet time – a whole 60 years! Can you believe it? We're looking at you, 19th-century school reformers, for the birth of that '9 to 5' workday concept. Apparently, they thought parents had zero kids to look after during those hours. What were they smoking?
Fast forward to today, and American students are spending a solid six and a half hours in school, five days a week. But here's the kicker – two-thirds of moms are now juggling full-time jobs. And fewer than half of public schools offer any kind of after-school programs. Say what?
Now, let's jet-set internationally. In Finland, those lucky elementary students get a whopping 75 minutes of recess, while our American kiddos have to make do with a measly 27 minutes. The Finnish philosophy? Kids won't learn if they don't play, even if it's colder than a polar bear's toenails. Across the pond in the UK, high schools are kicking off later in the day. One London school even said, "Screw it," and started at 10 a.m. because research says students learn better when they're not sleepwalking.
But hold onto your hats – the sleep saga continues in the good ol' U.S. of A. with early school start times that are about as compatible with teenagers' biological clocks as a cat at a dog show. And let's not even talk about the colossal elephant in the room – childcare costs. They've become a financial heavyweight for American families, sometimes even outstripping the cost of college tuition. Yikes!
Now, what's the remedy, you ask? We've got some ideas. Picture schools getting cozy with the community, creating a school day that's longer and happier than a kid in a candy store. We're talking peer-to-peer learning, epic lunch breaks, field trips, and teachers clocking in at different times.
Listen as we discuss our personal situations with our kids and how we’re making it all work with the current state of affairs. But we also want to hear from you: How's your kid's school schedule looking nowadays? Can you picture a 5 p.m. school day? It's like finding a unicorn, right? And what if we flipped the script on the traditional workday?
Stay stressed and sexy, friends. 🎙️💃🔥
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