That the Spanish educational model is still anchored in the past in many aspects, is something that today cannot be refuted. The high school failure is a clear example of this, so for some years now it has been trying improve education from many fronts, with the goal that children not only learn, but do so with interest and motivation.
One of those aspects that is changing in many Spanish schools is the school schedule, so that more and more schools are leaving the traditional day, to take advantage of the continuous day. But nevertheless, There are no conclusive data to indicate whether this day is better for the academic performance of the students.
If we ask familiesThere are many who consider that the intensive schedule would have great advantages for children, but there are also those that are not in favor of the change. These are the opinions they have told us about it. And you, are you in favor or against the continuous day in the schools?
What is the continuous journey?
Before analyzing the opinions that the subject raises, it is important to know the implications that the abandonment of the split day would have in favor of the continuous one, and what schedules the students would follow.
Although these may vary slightly from one autonomous community to another (and even from one school to another within the same community), the idea would be to avoid the midday break to eat and concentrate all teaching hours in the morning.
In Babies and more Differences between the Spanish and Finnish education system in "Salvados"Let's give an example
Imagine a school with a split day, where students enter at 09:00 hours and have a morning class block (with a short time of recreation in between) until 12:30. At that time, they would leave to eat (some to their homes, and others to the school canteen) and then play in the yard. The return to the classrooms would take place at 2:30 p.m., with a afternoon block of two or three subjects until departure time, at 4:00 p.m.
In the case of a school with continuous working hours, children would enter at 09:00 hours and all classes would concentrate tomorrow (with a recess time in between), so they would end at 2:00 p.m. From that moment, students who wish to do so would use the school canteen until 4:00 p.m.
In summary, the time of entry and exit to the center would not vary (except for those students who eat at home, in which case they could leave at 2:00 pm), and neither would the teaching hours, but the distribution would change of the subjects.Arguments in favor
It would not affect the reconciliation
As we have just said, the children's departure time would not change if they use the school canteen. And this is important to emphasize because many parents believe that the continuous workday could interfere with their workday, and cause problems to reconcile.
"All the public cabbages in my town have an intensive day, except for the concerted ones. And I think it is the best option. There is a lot of confusion on this issue and it is that if you let them eat in the dining room, their departure time would still be 4:00 p.m., which is generally the same as that of schools with part-time work "- explains Virginia, mother of a six-year-old girl.
In Babies and more Four-day school week, a challenge for reconciliation"In my opinion, the split day does not make any sense, as long as the school offers the possibility of dining and subsequent reception in case of a continuous day. That way, who needs their children to be covered would have no problem, but not all children would be forced to be subjected to a tiring match schedule"- says Alejandra, mother of three children of ten, six and three years.
Children perform more academically
There are several teachers and educators who believe that this day would favor the concentration of children, impacting on greater interest, motivation and better academic results. Rebeca Fernández, a teacher at a school in Madrid, offers us her vision about it:
"The intensive day is more tired for the students, but much more efficient at the cognitive level. In the afternoon the children do not give up. Those who have eaten at home and they have to go back to school come sleepy and unwilling, and those who have eaten in the school canteen return to class decentralized after having spent so much time in the courtyard "
"For teachers, the split day is much more exhausting, since we must keep the students active and attract their attention so that they do not say goodbye in the afternoon classes. Therefore, as a teacher, and after having worked with both models, I strongly believe that the intensive day is much more effective and positive, both for teachers and students "
The children would come home less tired
With the day continuing, the children would finish before school and have all afternoon to play, do extracurricular or rest. And it is that one of the main problems of Spanish students is the amount of time they spend in school, and the overload of extracurricular students who have after, and that makes them finish the day really exhausted.
In Babies and more Spanish children leave school later than most EuropeansAlthough the departure time for those children who made use of the school canteen would be the same with continuous or part-time work, the level of mental activity and concentration would end before, and from that moment he would start his leisure time: lunch with his teammates and free play time in the yard.
"This year is the first we are enjoying the continuous day at school. The difference with previous courses is very noticeable. With the day left, the boy left school tired after an afternoon of classes, and when he got home he had to continue with his homework "
"Now, with the intensive day I pick you up from school at the same time but leaves rested and very active, after two hours of games with friends in which your mind has had time to disconnect. The afternoon at home faces her much more relaxed "- explains Lidia, mother of a child who studies 5th grade.
There is more free time to enjoy with the family
With the continuous day, many parents who work in the morning shift or who have intensive work hours could pick up their children at 2:00 pm, without having to leave them in the school canteen.
This allows many families can eat together in their homes and enjoy more leisure time:
"I leave work half an hour before my son, so I'm going to pick him up at school at 2pm and we eat together at home. If they had a split day at school, I couldn't do it, and I would have to let him eat at school because our schedules would be incompatible "- Nuria, mother of a four-year-old child, tells us.
It means greater savings for families
The fact of having the possibility of pick up the children at 2:00 p.m. and dispense with the school canteenIt also represents a significant saving for many families.
For example, in the Community of Madrid, the daily price of the school menu is 4.88 euros, which implies a approximate monthly cost of between 97 and 100 euros.
In Babies and more, how much does your child's school dining menu cost according to the autonomous community where you live?The move to the institute would not be so drastic
In public schools in our country, students attend up to sixth grade of Primary Education, and from that moment they must continue high school studies in the institute where the schedules are intensive tomorrow.
The parents of secondary school students affirm that with the continuous day acquired in the school, the child who begins the institute for the first time would no longer have to face a drastic change in their class schedules, and at least this aspect would continue to be the same as at school, which would facilitate adaptation.
Counterarguments
The children would eat very late, and it could especially affect the little ones
If in a school with a split day students eat between 12:30 and 13:00, in a center with a continuous day they would eat between 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.; two hours apart that can be excessive, especially for the little ones.
"My son ate at 12:00 in the nursery, and now in the first year of Early Childhood Education at school he is eating at 12:30. If the day were to continue I would eat very late, and he is not used to it. I think for the little ones it is an important mismatch in their schedules and routines"- explains Alice, mother of a three-year-old boy.
Mornings can be exhausting
Usually, with a split working schedule the four morning courses are taught with a break in between, leaving after eating the two afternoon subjects.
With the intensive day, the four subjects in the morning would be taught in a row, and the remaining two subjects would be given after a short half-hour break. This very concentrated schedule could be exhausting for children, especially for those in first grade courses.
"If it's hard to keep a six-year-old boy sitting in class for an hour, I can't imagine what it should be like to keep him still for three hours. Honestly, I do not believe that this day improves the level of attention of the students, but rather the opposite: it must be exhausting to keep the attention for four consecutive subjects "- says Miguel Ángel, father of two twin children who attend Primary Education first.
Many children would lose play time with classmates
And leaving aside cognitive and academic performance aspects, there are families that they fear that "going to school" becomes boring for children, being exclusively dedicated to learning subjects.
This would happen especially with those who had the opportunity to go home to eat, missing food in the dining room with their peers and the subsequent time for recreation, physical activity and games.
"The school canteen is a forum where children learn many values, such as the importance of sharing, debating, resolving conflicts in a respectful manner ... With the continuous journey, many children will be picked up by their families at 2:00 p.m. and they will miss that important moment of socialization with their peers"
"It is true that the same thing can happen with those students with a part-time who leave to eat at home, but at least they have had a two-hour rest period before resuming classes. Instead, now many children will only go to school to work and study, since the only yard they have tomorrow is very short. Where is the fun and the relationship with other classmates beyond what happens in the classroom?"- asks Teresa, mother of a girl who is in third grade of Primary Education.
In summary…
Judging by the various opinions expressed by the parents consulted, there seems to be no right or wrong option since everything depends on the individual needs of the students and the organization of the families.
In Babies and more 13 aspects that you should consider when choosing a school for your childrenHowever, as a summary, we share this video published by the psychologist and education and parenting expert Alberto Soler, which we interviewed two years ago on the occasion of this topic. Alberto believes that the day continues would have no impact on the most trained students, but it could negatively influence those students with problems to maintain attention:
There is no doubt that this issue generates a great debate and since in many schools the decision to adopt or not this schedule depends on the votes of the families, it is important to be informed in order to make the decision that we deem most convenient.Photos | iStock, Pixabay
