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By Dr. Harry Tennant
Saturday, December 3, 2011 Santa Missing Instructional Time In Some Districts A great deal of fuss is being made about what seems to be a fairly sound decision by the Fort Worth Independent School District. It is yet another example of one of those "damned if you do; damned if you don't" scenarios for school administrators. 'God was kicked out of school years ago...and now they are kicking out Santa.' This assessment is widely expressed by those critical of FWISD and other districts struggling with how to respond to this prickly dilemma. Lost in the emotionalism of it all is the most basic, almost irrefutable justification for the decision. Simply, in this age of heightened accountability, instruction should be maximized during scheduled academic time. The public is crying out for schools that better prepare our children and equip them for global competitiveness. We ask teachers to conduct rich, bell-to-bell lessons. Accountability is high for all involved. Can we really afford to use instructional time for gift giving and parties? Regarding FWISD's statement, NBCDFW reported: What that means is that students will not be allowed to exchange gifts
or distribute personal holiday messages during class this year. But the
district isn't stopping the spread of Christmas cheer outside of
instructional hours. Students can still exchange gifts before and after
school, and classroom parties are allowed if they are for "instructional
purposes." Incidentally----> the bar for proving that a party is for "instructional purposes" tends to be very low...particularly around the holidays! FWISD offered a two-part justification for their decision. Specifically: According to district spokesperson Clint Bond the reasons for that are
twofold: Classroom time should be reserved for learning and the district
doesn't want to alienate non-Christian students. I applaud FWISD for honestly presenting both actual justifications for their decision. After all, safeguarding instructional time is an easy battle to fight, while safeguarding the rights of minority opinion versus majority, traditional practice is fraught with danger. They seem to have addressed the matter head-on. FWISD Interim Superintendent Walter Dansby wrote in a news release on Friday: "Santa Claus is welcome to visit our schools. He can be in the lobby.
He can be in the cafeteria. He can be in the auditorium. He can be in
the school, outside the school, around the school. But he cannot visit
the classroom while the teacher is teaching." Click here for the full story at NBCDFW Posted at 7:53 PM Keywords: EdClick , Holiday Celebrations 0 Comments |