What's all this brouhaha about planning days? There are too many already. Our public school teachers get 11 days, including waiver days (whatever those are) and professional development days. On top of that they get early breaks on Wednesdays. And on top of that they get 15 sick days plus two personal days.
Now you ask, where have all those generous times-off gotten us?
Near the bottom of the heap of the national school standing.
Personal calls to the competition — private schools — revealed the following:
» Iolani: Zero planning days, one professional development day, between five and 10 sick days, plus six family days.
» Punahou: Five planning and professional development days and 10 sick days, including up to two personal days.
» Waldorf: Zero regular days off, 10 sick days plus three personal days.
And where do those schools stand? Among the best in the country. One even produced a president of the United States.
I grew up in the German school system, which has generated scientists and inventors of many things. There were zero planning days. People would have laughed at such an idea.
Japan adopted the German school system. That means two scientifically and technologically leading countries in the world work on the same highly successful school system — with no planning days.
Gerhard C. Hamm
Waialae Iki
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