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Trustee irked by kids not in class

Seeks input from parents on activities

By: Nick Martin

Posted: 06/22/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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Mike Babinsky

The current rules

THE province requires 110 hours of instructional time for each high school credit.

In 183 days of instruction, there would be 1,006 hours of classroom time, at least theoretically, far more than enough to accommodate eight credits, maybe even nine.

But every time a student is out of class -- field trips, assemblies, science fairs, conferences, sporting events, exams, open days after exams, even something such as We Day -- those hours drop.

Your views

THE Free Press wants to hear from parents about the amount of time their children are spending in class. Tell us your child's school and grade, and give us an estimate of how many days of teaching instruction they've missed in June. Share your information on the comments section of this story, or on our Facebook page.

Hey kid, why aren't you in class?

Winnipeg School Division trustee Mike Babinsky wants to know why students are missing so much instructional time each year.

The maverick trustee's interest got piqued after West Kildonan resident Barb Stunick told Babinsky she was seeing a lot of kids out on the street during school hours, and Babinsky realized his own kids were at home when he figured they should have been at school.

"Students are supposed to be in school for 183 days and not less than 51/2 hours," Babinsky said.

In one case, Babinsky said, teachers were interviewing students as part of an assessment program. "It took 20 minutes for the interview, then they got the rest of the week off," during which the students were supposed to read a book and write a report.

In another case, it was because the students only went to school for a couple of half-days during exams.

"High school students, the last day in class was Tuesday, June 12," he said, leaving 13 days until the end of the school year when they only went to school for exams.

Division officials were not available Thursday to comment.

Manitoba used to have 200 school days a year, including 190 instructional days and 10 professional-development and in-service days, but that was before the NDP decided to start school the day after Labour Day. The school year still ends the closest weekday to June 30.

This year it's 183 instructional days, 186 next year and 184 the year after.

Many times, kids are out of school for field trips or curriculum-related events, Babinsky conceded, but he wants to know how often and why.

The province requires high school students receive 110 hours of classroom time for each credit, but a former superintendent in Thompson a few years ago reported high school students average 88 hours of instructional time per credit, because they spend so much time outside the classroom.

"Science fairs, field trips, a lot of these things have to do with school," he said. "There should be separate criteria -- five days for field trips, as long as we know what's going on and the information is there."

Stunick said her grandson seems increasingly to be missing class time. Kids take swimming lessons, and recently they went to the Children's Festival, neither of which Stunick believes should be on class time.

"That's the parents' responsibility, not the school's responsibility," she said. While kids are at the festival, "That's a whole day gone."

Babinsky said he's asked the division to track sample schools in different age groups next school year and wants to hear from parents about their kids' experiences. Babinksy is asking parents to contact him directly via his email (mbabinsky@hotmail.com) to let him know when, how long, and why their kids weren't in class.

"I don't know all the answers, but I do know kids are not in school as much as they're supposed to," Babinsky said. Through parents, "That's when I'm going to get the true story."

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 22, 2012 A5

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