The Longest Day: A Rebuttal

I’m a huge fan of Mad Men. Although I’ve never had any real desire to work in an agency, and I pride myself on my contrarian nature as regards to marketing, I have to hand it to Matthew Weiner and his writers. I have a feeling that Rahm Emmanuel is a fan as well. After all, he’s done such a brilliant job of changing the conversation in Chicago education politics away from the inarguable (lack of funding) to the arguable (length of the day). If you don’t like what they are saying, change the conversation.

Bravo, Mr. Emmanuel!

My perspective is completely different. My children attend a school that is utterly unlike 99 percent of the elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools’ portfolio. I’m not sure why that is – after all, parents at Disney II are no more involved and their children no smarter than the populations of many other schools, including those behind the 6.5 to Thrive movement: Burley, Blaine, Coonley, Bell, Mt. Greenwood, Drummond, Inter-American, and others. Disney II is a magnet school, so it’s got a wee funding advantage, but no more so than most of the schools listed above. Nor is it any better funded than my neighborhood school, John B. Murphy, whose 85 percent free and reduced lunch population (not to mention a fully populated school of PK-8), gives it a funding bump that is not replicated at Disney II.

As a parent of children who have attended a school that has had the longest school day within CPS since its inception in September 2008, I’d like to address some of the arguments I’ve heard and seen about the longer/full school day:

Advocate what is best for your child.

This seems like a no-brainer advice for a generation of parents on the heels of those who regularly call up their adult children’s bosses to advocate on their behalf. But at the same time, I question the wisdom of basing the second largest school system on the welfare of a few. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but should it in a system that serves not only the children of tax-paying and resourceful citizens, but also those children whose parents are too busy or too distracted to decipher the messages coming from both CPS and its critics? There’s a very good reason that businesspeople have historically not been in charge of public services.  

6.5-hour CPS schools outperform 7.5-hour charter schools.

Although CPS likes to tell the story that charter schools are part of a public school portfolio, charter schools are not, in fact, the same thing as public schools. Do these 6.5-hour schools have the same populations as 7.5-hour charters? And how did 6.5 to Thrive reach this conclusion?

6.5-hour schools outperform 5.75-hour schools.

Pick an argument here. The idea that 6.5-hour schools outperform 5.75-hour schools within the same portfolio begs the question: Is it because of the extra time or in spite of it? What accounts for the difference between the performances of children in these schools? More resources? More highly involved parents? Smarter kids?

As 6.5 to Thrive states, kids at these schools get recess and extracurricular activities, not simply more time to plug away at math and literacy. Maybe its poor reasoning skills, but I don’t understand this argument. First, neither a 6.5-hour day nor a 7.5-hour day has been proven (by anything but anecdotal evidence) within CPS. The vast majority of CPS schools provide just 5.75 hours of instruction (whether they are open campus with a recess or not). Second, if a 6.5-hour day is better, a 7.5-hour day must be an improvement, no? If some is good, more must make it better. If that is true, why isn't 6.5 pushing for a longer day?

There’s no scientific data about a 7.5-hour day.

That’s the thing about being a pioneer: no one comes before you and there’s no way to measure to your success. It’s kind of a leap of faith. It seems strange to me that a group of parents are willing to take the leap by putting their kids into the system in the first place, yet unwilling to trust that the educators who both administer and teach in the system have all of our children’s best interests at heart and top of mind.

I’m not discounting the possibility that the longer day could be yet another failed experiment in the failures of the district. But is it at all possible that the Chicago could be in the verge of greatness in moving to this model? Could a 7.5-hour day be used to address achievement gaps in those who lack early childhood education, a parent available for homework after school, an hour not spent on the street deflecting rocks?

Kids need a school-life balance and the AAP recommends unstructured play time.

As anyone following politics in the last century knows, cherry-picking data is nothing new. Apparently, it’s also not limited to CPS. What the AAP actually said is that unstructured playtime is more valuable for young children than screen time. The research was published in a November 2011 report about toddlers. The same report also recommended that “young children learn best from—and need—interaction with humans.” And in its 2006 study on children’s activities, the AAP suggested that it’s parents who over-schedule their children. I feel compelled to note that the AAP deals with children’s medicine, not children’s education.

A longer school day doesn’t mean a better quality school day.

Finally: a valid point. But this is where we should, as parents, focus our energies. Although it’s slow in coming, I think CPS is going to put real meaning around what, exactly, a longer, high-quality school day looks like. My feeling is that the longer day is coming, whether we like it or not, and we’d do better to focus our efforts on how we can shape that day and, most importantly, how CPS plans to fund it.

Schools That Work

I'm on a post-auction high. Successfully planning an event where everyone has a good time makes me happy. But what makes me a little misty-eyed was the successful teamwork among parents, teachers and administrators that made the event work. It's no small thing to have a CPS school that works. And I feel so fortunate and grateful that my kids are taught and cared for by these amazing people every weekday.

Much has been made of late about CPS's refusal to engage parents in the education policy-setting process. As Jill Wohl of Raise Your Hand has pointed out, one way to better force CPS as an institution to listen to us parents (both individually and as an institution) is to vote in the upcoming Local School Council elections on April 18-19, 2012. Or, even better, run for one of the 6 seats available for parent representatives at each school. Applications are due March 8, 2012 March 23, 2012. Even if you're on the fence, it's just a short personal statement and a bit of box-checking. (Seriously, job applications require more writing).

Another way that parents can be a part of the process, in my opinion, is to have--or work to create--a great partnership with your school's administration and teachers. This partnership (or more accurately, a trifecta among parents, teachers and students) is what makes some CPS schools stand out within the second largest school district in the United States. Indeed, the parents behind the 6.5 to Thrive movement (more on that in a bit) almost invariably come from schools with a very active parent population. I'd bet that Northside Prep is the #1 high school I the sate of Illinois not because the kids are the intellectual cream of Chicago's academic crop (although that certainly helps), but because their parents have taken an active and supportive role in their education and schools since Y2K.

It's not surprising to me that your average mother of a 3-year-old on the Northside can rattle off a list of great schools within the district, but cannot name even a single school on CPS's turnaround list. It ultimately comes down to resources: parents at these "name" schools are active, stay current and have the means and the know-how (aka resources) to the CPS powers that be. How does that happen? I'd like to think its not because we're well-spoken, tax-paying adults with an affinity for Northface puffer jackets and Starbucks nonfat lattes, but because we've formed strong ties to our school communities, and have developed a critical level of trust with our school-based cohorts. A strong parent-school community is good for the parents, but it's also good for the kids. As Ted Ganchiff pointed out in Nettelhorst's one-day symposium in June 2010, the days when you sent your kids off to school in K and didn't think about school again until the college boards ended when, well, they stopped calling them the college boards.

Oslo and the North Sea

We hit the city (Oslo) again today with P, Big E and Little e.

We drove down to the center city to see the Palace. We stopped first in a 7-11 for a hot dog. OMG, they are so good! Eating a hot dog at 7-11 is one of the cheapest ways to eat in Oslo. They are around 30 kroner, which is about $5. The Girl and I had three between us, stopping again on the way back from the outing. So yummy. Apparently, the hot dog is also a national food in Norway - it's practically requires that one eats hot dogs and ice cream on May 17th, Norway's national holiday.

I also got a cappuccino from the machine at 7-11 and missed my mouth completely in drinking it while at the palace square. We walked past the US Embassy on the way - it is a seriously ugly building.

There was a drive leading up to the palace, marked by a sign that read no motorbikes or cars, but there were no pylons or barricades blocking the drive. P says that most Norwegians follow the honor system and the government is not so worried about the small percentage who don't. The entire population of Norway is only slightly bigger than that of the city of Chicago -- 4.5 million. (Cook County has 5.1 million residents according to the 2010 US Census.) Anyway, we all slipped our way up the hill (red gravel under sheets of ice) to gape at the palace - a huge pale yellow building with white trim - and the funny guards holding sentry in front. There were signs of the New Year’s celebration in evidence on the gravel - champagne corks!

Then we turned to walk down Karl Johan's Gate (gate = street). Karl Johan was the king of Norway and Sweden for a period in the 1800s. He is depicted in a huge statue on a huge piece of marble in front of the palace and facing one of the main streets in Oslo. The palace is on a hill, so it's quite a pretty view to look down over the city. We slid our way down the hill to walk along Karl Johan. We passed the library, a few government buildings and a skating rink in the part of the street that allowed cars. We also stopped and Dean & the Deli in an attempt for another hot dog. They didn't have any, so we each got a bolle (bun) instead: chocolate for Little e and Big E, cinnamon for The Girl, currant and raisin for me. Mine was warm and flavored with a hint of cardamom.

After this, we went to a department store - Glas Maginset (I think) - that has a whole floor devoted to Norwegian gear - Dale Nordic knit sweaters, Norwegian mitts, felted wool jackets, etc. I was tempted by several gorgeous wool sweaters from smaller Norsk designers, but once I converted the kroner, couldn't justify a $400 cardigan. I did, however, buy a felted wool gnome hat for Teddy, a Sigfrid Kolmen petticoat dress for The Girl, and a blue gnome water bottle for Nate, all from the 75 percent off table (which made it all affordable), and felted wool slippers from Denmark for me. On this floor, they also had woolen skeins - gorgeous! I considered buying some for my mom, but I think she's still working on a sweater for my dad from wool she bought in Denmark last year.

After that, we pretty much had to skedaddle to drop Big E at home and pick up our bags so that we could make our DFDS cruise to Copenhagen. There was traffic on the way back into Oslo and Big E and Little e were egging each other on with nonsense and kicking the backs of their parents' seats. (This was pretty much as unruly as they got -- such a different parenting existence from life with boys, to paraphrase my friend Allison.)

Fortunately, we got on the boat with a half hour to spare. Dropped bags and stroller in our cabin - Little e thought we were on an airplane because there was lifeboat just outside our porthole - and headed upstairs to explore. We sat down at the bar to have a drink - Carlsburg for me and P, Shirley Temples for the girls - and watch the lights go by on the shore as we pulled out of port. We called my dad to wish him a happy birthday as well.

The cruise there was pretty uneventful. We had buffet dinner at 17:30 in the Seven Seas restaurant. The Girl had mussels and shrimp again and topped it off with ice cream with chocolate and sprinkles. I had meatballs, a delicious beets and peppers dish, bread and butter, salad and a gingerbread roll. After dinner, we walked around the ship a bit. The Girl really wanted to do the kids' activities, but for some really stupid reason, the ship put them in the same lounge where smoking was allowed inside. Both P and I said nuts to that. We did go in the shop when it opened and picked up some Lego surprises for the boys. After that, we were all pretty tired and went to bed. Little e did not want to go to sleep and gave her mom a hard time about it. She understands English, but speaks Norwegian. Most of the Norwegian we learned was from her. At bedtime, she crawled into the porthole, screaming "ni!" (no) at the top of her lungs and looking like a fierce little Viking. Anyone who has ever traveled with a toddler can picture this scene.

Snow Day!

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning! Snow, snow, snow! The Girl was the first one out of the house, raring to play in the white stuff. She even offered to shovel  the drive. Big E and Little e joined her soon after and they slid down the small hill behind the house and then made 3 crazy snowmen. By this point in the visit, 2 opinionated 6.5-y/os minus adequate sleep = lots of squabbles, including over sleds and snow person design. Big E didn't want to share her sled (and neither did 2.5-y/o Little e), prompting The Girl to stomp into the house and say she wanted to go home. T went out with them, fulfilling the Norwegian "need to be outside" and providing a parental influence to keep the girls in line.

P and I stayed inside and watched the New Year’s concert in Vienna, followed by a lot of crazy Norwegians, Germans and Serbs skiing down an enormously steep luge and flying in the air. And some cross country skiing. We talked about going to the sled hill, but the girls stayed outside for most of the afternoon, and we were invited to T's parents' house in Oslo for dinner, so we had to bathe and get moving.

T's parents live in an enormous house, just next to a huge hill. His mom is an amazing cook! She fed us mussels as an appetizer and then reindeer (seriously yum), gravy, potatoes, Brussels sprouts with bacon and carrots. I was stuffed! Then I had to go sledding down the huge hill in the dark with The Girl. (T said that the previous week, on Christmas, his nephew had a similar complaint - "you are wasting my time!") Big E was still feeling chilled from the previous evening (wearing only tights when you are used to wearing tights /wool unders and a snowsuit contributed to this), so she stayed in with farfar and farmor. P took Little e as well, but they went on the lower hill. The hill had actually three parts. It had started to rain over the snow, so it was quite icy and slick. The plows went by and I walked in its tracks up the street that ran alongside the hill as well. There were trees to watch out for, and we I hit the kid-created moguls a few times, getting quite a bit of air. It was fun and I am glad that I didn't have a big bruise on my bum. We went back inside and had a scrumptious dessert that farmor made: whipped chocolate mousse and ice cream. I passed on the ice cream, but the chocolate mousse was sooooo good. And then after that, farmor served more snacks! Homemade peppermint fudge, little cookies and coffee or tea.

New Years Eve in Norway

The honeymoon between Big E and The Girl ended this morning over Xbox. The Girl had never done it before, Big E wanted to teach her (ie, play while The Girl watched) and it exploded from there. In full disclosure, The Girl had her tantrum at the end of the day.

Vigorous walking (hiking) temporarily cured the spat. After breakfast, we suited up in our outdoor gear and took a hike up Kolsastoppen, a huge mountain where you can see all of Oslo from its peak. It was icy and covered in pine needles, but the view was totally worth it. At the top, we signed our names in the book stuck in a postal box, drank water, ate chocolate "that tastes like Norway," and admired the view. Then we slid/hiked back down. I fell several times on the ice, and toward the end, sat on my bum to slide down the straightaways whole hog. The Girl's snowpants were black in the seat. Mine were an ashy white, having started out gray in color in the first place.

We stopped at the grocery again on the way home to get mussels and cheese for our NYE dinner. I was starving after that vigorous climb, so I could not wait and practically inhaled a Tartare aux Provenceurs cheese appetizer in the car. A wee bit of France, which is how I met P. Big E and The Girl had ice creams instead. When we got home, we had light snacks of salami, ham, cheese and crackers around 4-5. P and T also got out all the "native Norwegian foods" that I hadn't tried before. I had T's mom's pickled herring (pretty good), brown butter (made with whey) and something else that I can no longer remember.

The girls watched a movie while the grownups talked. I suggested to The Girl that we call daddy at midnight to say that 2012 was great, but she couldn’t wait that long and called him at 7 instead, and the joke fell flat. We had dinner just after that - mussels as appetizer and Swiss fondue with aquavit and a nice salad. Yum! The girls and Little e half watched another film, Coraline, after dinner. In Norway, Saturday after dinner is sweets and candy time so each girl loaded up a huge bowl of m&ms, chocolates and candy... And ate about 1/4 of it. After that, there was still dessert for all - brownies with melty middles and ice cream.

Then we suited up to do some fireworks so Little e could see them before she went to bed. Insert tantrum from The Girl. The Girl wanted to wait until midnight, when everyone was going to do them, not 10 as it now was, and at Big E's school. But there were fehrvehreki going off everywhere in the sky and there was a sulfuric haze descending along with the snow. She liked them a lot, and liked helping T with them (by choosing or advising which to do light next). Big E was scared and stayed way, way back. The little fireworks were lame, but P had gotten a big brick that shot off fireworks like you'd see on 4th of July just above our heads with lots of oohs and aahs. Then we walked back to P&T’s house. Lots of neighbors were out or calling to us. Big E went across the way for "new years hugs" before coming back inside. Little e had fallen asleep in the stroller so they transferred her to bed. We turned on yet another movie, the parent trap, and snuggled up with blankets on the couch. The Girl made it until 11:50 but was out cold. Big E was scared by fireworks and stayed inside. P and T joined their neighbors for the ball drop.