With all of the bad weather this year a lot of counties are missing more than their allotted amount of "bad weather days". Once all of the vacation days are taken away and the system has added numerous days to the end of the year, the students are required to attend classes on Saturdays to make up the missed time. I feel that this is crazy!!! It's not that I'm against students making up days, but Saturday classes are a joke. First of all the day is shortened so that student leave by 12:00. This causes chaos all by itself, b/c students are trying to figure out what classes to go to. Next, the students realize that today class on Saturday is not normal and don't really take it seriously (or maybe that's just my experience with it). I think that going to school on Saturday only looks good on paper, but in the long run, is limited in its attempts to promote learning. Anyone else feel me on this??

I think that school on Saturday is necessary in some situations, but unless it is an emergency, I don't see the need in it either. Unless too many days have been missed because of snow, or it is withholding the progress of the students and their end of year goals - no Saturday school. If you can keep them on track and interested during the normal weekdays, you are doing enough - weekends would be impossible. It could be done if absolutely necessary. I know when I went to school, Saturday school would have been a joke, but we never had much snow where I grew up, so it was not an issue.

I don't think Saturday school is the answer.....maybe taking away their spring break and adding more days onto the end of the year is a better approach. I know when I was a senior in high school we missed 2 1/2 weeks due to snow. It was questionable whether we were going to just add on unto the end of the year or have Saturday classes. Many parents felt that Saturday classes was not the answer. Many children are involved in extra curricular activities such as sports, girl scouts, and even jobs for the older children. Another complaint was that many divorced parents felt that this was totally unfair. If this was their weekend to be with their children and they had to go to school....they would be very unhappy. With the divorce rate as high as it is in America this was a major concern.

I know that when i was in high school this situation came up a lot. We would always go over the allowed days to miss and end up trying to go on saturday. They only held saturday school twice because noone would show up. There would be about 3 students in a class if any. I dont know what you can do if you take all the breaks away and still cant make up all the days, espically if noone comes to saturday school. I really think that they should figure out away for this to be done or they just need to figure out something to do. Saturday school is not the answer.

I don't really know what to say about Saturday school, except sometimes you have to do what you have to do. If days have to be made up, I'd probably rather go on Saturdays than even later into the summer. I just feel awful for the parents. I can't imagine what they did with thier children during all of those snowdays and now how Saturdays may affect thier work and weekend plans. Sometimes it just all sucks.

I never had to worry about the whole Saturday school but I know a lot of kids in high school that are having to go to it. I think that Saturday school should be used in serious cases (like this girl I know has this really horrible disease and she is always missing school for doctor's appointment's, hospital visits, etc) and in her case I feel that Saturday school could be beneficial so that she could pass all her classes, but I def. agree with Aaron that in most cases it's all a big joke!

I agree! I think Saturday school is a joke because I know from personal experience Saturday was nothing but a free day. We were all sick of school by Friday and then we had to wake up again on Saturday and go back for a few hours. I know that we need to get a certain amount of school days in but do you think a few days off for school is really going to hurt the education of tomorrow? Sometimes snow days are good to get some unexpected time off. I do understand when it gets into weeks we probably should excuse some days and add on days toward the end of school. Schools these days are starting in early August that it doesn't hurt to stay a little longer in May. We seem to always stick by the number of school days attended but we should look on which days are going to be the most beneficial.

Speaking both as a student and a future teacher, I think Saturday school is a terrible idea. I think five days a week of school is enough, not to mention it would interfere with any Saturday plans of teachers, students, and parents. I know education is getting bigger and bigger in our lives, but I'm sorry, there should be time away that should not be tampered with. I know students would hate to go and in a lot of cases, wouldn't go. Also, I know I would hate to go. Everybody needs down time.

Kids will only be kids for so long, and they will end up going to school for much longer.... usually. Sometimes as a college student i feel a 2 day weekend just isnt enough. As a future teacher I wouldnt want to come to school on saturday. I guess sometimes though if it is mandantory, I will just have to suck it up and do it anyway.

I FOUND SOMETHING OUT ABOUT SATURDAY SCHOOL. THE STUDENTS CANNOT BE MADE TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR MORE THAN 5 DAYS IN A WEEK. THEY ALSO ONLY GO FOR A HALF OF A DAY AND THE TEACHERS DO NOT EXPECT TO GET ANYTHING DONE. THIS WAS TOLD TO ME BY A TEACHER AT ASHE COUNTY HIGH. SO NOW MY QUESTION IS WHY THE HECK DO THE GO?

Saturday school is just a way that schools meet the requirements put in place by government officials who don't care if Sat. school is a joke. I think that maybe after school sessions with maybe an afternoon recess might help. Students need to get caught up after missing so many days and it takes a dedicated teacher to catch them up. I also think that schools that are in areas that have a lot of snow should lengthen their winter break and shorten their summer break. At least that way students have their share of vacation days and minimize snow days.

when i was a senior our graduation day was like may something but we had missed alot of school that year due to the snow and all the jr, so, and freshman had to go a week more of school but we already graduated - it was the biggest joke the students and the teachers of all the other grades didnt do anything.

the politicans think with numbers (like always) instead of thinking about knowledge and the value of it. they always want to measure school, whether its grades from county to county, school to school, or whether its how many days you go to school a year, they think you HAVE TO go this many days to get a solid education. what a bunch of bull.
if anything saturday school only hurts the value of knowledge!!!
think about it - kids arent stupid they see that extra days are a joke and esp saturday school is a joke and they let that flow and incompass all of school. they start to think that all the school days are a joke, that our teachers are just playing the role of teacher monday through friday and would probably really rather be some where else, they look around and start to think (and sometimes REALIZE) that school is all a big production, a joke that the adults get to play on the children, a holding pin until they get out of work.

i think saturday school and extra days are detremental to knowledge and the value of it, especially if on those days all you do is goof off (like probably at least 80% of classes do)

i think saturday school is a horrible idea, my sister-in-law teaches in the forsyth county school system, and she had saturday classes during our spring break. one positive thing about that day was that students who normally skip classes were there due to the fact that their parents were home and would notice them trying to play hookie. but otherwise, she said it was a pretty trying day for both students and teachers.

I agree with you guys that say Saturday school is a joke and it's going to make teacher keep on retiring early. I understand that it's the government's way of making sure all kids are in school the right amount of days, but it's such crap. I mean, if I was a teacher, I would just do a fun day all morning if they made me come in on Saturday. I really think that if they're going to make kids go to school on Saturday, then teachers need to be paid overtime for those days, or get extra sick days or something. It's rediculous how much teachers get crapped on. Grr....

I don't like the idea of Saturday school either, but I really can't think of any way of getting around it except take a day away for their spring break or add a day at the end of the year. Any type of make-up day is going to be trying for the students that actually do make it to school. I bet attendance would be low on Saturday's, but I don't think many people take half a day on the weekend very serious as a half day. I don't know what to do...I guess it is one of those situations in which you have to do what needs to be done.