My wife and I are both public schoolteachers. Both of our districts have adopted a four-day-a-week teaching schedule, with Fridays reserved for teachers to handle the extra load of work that they are doing this year. More importantly, it was also meant to give students time to navigate the new conditions in which they are learning.
This is not happening.
Over the course of the last few months, the following excuse has become increasingly common: “I have to work on Friday, my boss won’t let me take it off.” Friday is still considered a school day, just not an in-person day. It is still meant for students to get help virtually or in-person, complete assignments and have time dedicated to their education. Employers, and even some coaches at schools, have been consistently usurping that necessary time for their own purposes.
I’m not arguing that sports or jobs are inherently problematic for students, but some are encroaching on the education of our students. Students who are already getting a raw deal are now having even more time taken from them — time that was supposed to mitigate the problems they would face this year. This needs to stop.
Theron Johnson
West Jordan