Back to school?

Hi neighbors. August is here and the countdown to summer's end is already being announced with back to school sales.

How would you feel about having year round school? We already have summer school. Some could take classes scheduled for the next year and gain more credit hours for graduation and free their next years schedule for additional classes of interest.

Sports of all types could be addressed in summer schools. This would free students from the diversion of team sports during class time. Beginning classes and hands-on-classes in music and drama, speech, and home economics could all get a kick start over summer vacation that would allow the student to continue learning via Internet interactive classes. All of these courses could be taught during summer vacation.

Home schooling, online schooling and public schooling should all merge into classroom packages that compliment each other in a seamless learning experience.

Have you seen the advertisements where home classes by computer are being offered? Not just for college classes now, teachers are teaching online from kindergarten to high school seniors. Personally, I think unless a child is having problems socializing in school, they should attend a local school.

Schools online would be a great way to expedite additional classes for people who have particular areas of interest. Students who excelled in art, literature, language studies, science or drama for instance, could learn more about those areas through this extended class time.

Not just correspondence courses, interactive live conversations online and instructional videos with lectures and how-to step-by-step procedures could all be offered. Teaching like this should be made available in schools, particularly high schools, colleges and trade schools.

Many classrooms in all school grades can be taught online. Certified, qualified and experienced teachers can teach, interact and assign lessons to a class of 100 as easily as to a class of 25. Most do this all day now, but teach smaller classes with repetitive lesson plans. Covering everything that needs to be covered for each lesson only once a day will leave the teacher free to help each child more as needed

I remember thinking how strange it was when I learned that children in Australia had school over ham radios. The distances between each ranch was so great, that other than flying into school by plane, children could not attend classes. It worked for them; and online teaching can work even better.

How many college classes are 80 percent lectures? Those can be recorded and watched on the student's time frame.

Students just graduating from high school could probably have little trouble passing tests for most college freshman classes. They should be able to test out of those classes for credit.

Colleges and universities must change their approach to teaching so more Americans can attend and graduate with a degree. Courses designed to complete a degree should be modified, streamlined, and utilize information the student already has to get out of college and into the work force quicker.

These streamlined degrees should be offered to all; but to remain in the programs students should have to maintain a set grade average.

Students who know what career courses and skills they need should be able to take classes that approach that career only. For instance, if you want to become an engineer (a much needed job skill in America) you should be able to skip classes that do not directly pertain to that field: and still get that degree.

Too many American based businesses (yes we still have some of those) are finding themselves having to hire skilled people from other countries to fill positions many Americans do not qualify for. That is ridiculous!

The public in general and parents of middle school through high school students in particular, should realize that just sending your child to school everyday is no longer working. Pouring thousands of dollars into a college education is unfortunately, not a guarantee of a good career.

Other industrial countries encourage (and some demand) students to go to school, and to either be tutored or take online courses for set hours each week. Our government, our schools, our parents and our students need to recognize that America needs to push a little harder to succeed -- just to survive in the job field.

If your child spends four hours a night chatting, texting, and browsing on their computers and cell phones, that time could be spent increasing their knowledge and job skills. They must learn that the world will not magically open up for them to obtain a lucrative job when they graduate high school without planned and extended effort on their part.

Back to school must become an obsolete phrase.