SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Getting your kids to school on a Monday morning can be a real struggle. Every Monday, Spokane Public Schools (SPS) will have a late start this year.
This past summer, SPS sat down with the Spokane Education Association and discussed how teachers could better serve their classrooms. They collectively decided that all the schools in the district should have roughly an hour later start time every Monday for the next three years.
Jody Schmidt, Whitman Elementary principal, says this extra time is beneficial for kids for many reasons.
“Time to dig a little bit deeper into what kids are able to do academically and socially,” Schmidt said.
Many of the 4th-grade teachers at Whitman Elementary are thankful for the extra hour. Rochelle Zwiesler, a teacher at Whitman Elementary, said they’re using this time to get organized, brainstorm, and dig deeper into problems that plague their classrooms.
“We use it to diagnose and implement a plan for students,” Zwiesler said
Zwiesler further explained they take this time to collaboratively look at where students are at and try to come up with the best plan to move students forward. While students are a priority at this designated time, teacher Adam Thompson said this time also serves as a way for them to lean on one another.
“So the fact that we can collaborate together on a weekly basis really helps us have the opportunity to, like, give different ideas for each of our classes,” Thompson said.
“Absolutely. And identify if it wasn't okay, in his room, it's probably not okay, for us, like, it's not gonna work,” said Zwiesler. “So, we have to be more strategic. We don't have enough time in the day to have anything go. We have to be super strategic with our minutes to move these kids as best as we can.”
The teachers at Whitman Elementary said the extra time serves as a team meeting. Zwiesler and Thompson said that this is the only time when their schedules align. Adding that the district tried a similar concept a couple of years ago but those Friday meetings didn’t work for them or parents.
Schmidt said the late start is just one way the district can support teachers.
“For me, it just gives us a way to go deeper into understanding what our students need and then supporting my teachers in a better way to be successful,” Schmidt said.
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