Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 | 2:02 a.m.
Among the suggestions from parents on ways to reduce Clark County School District budget costs was that teacher preparation periods be eliminated. Parents should be very careful of what they wish for. Eliminating prep periods may not be the most prudent move for quality education.
Many parents expect teachers to answer e-mail and phone calls post haste. This would no longer be possible during the normal school day. Do parents really expect teachers to use their own time to plan and prepare lesson plans, grade papers and take hours of time to answer their e-mail or phone call complaints or questions when their child fails a test that they did not study for?
Many parents attend parent conferences during normal school hours. How many will be upset when they must attend such meetings before or after school only?
Do parents really expect teachers to be so enslaved that they would willingly spend all waking hours to continue to do all that they normally do with an additional class of 35-plus students and related work requirements?
Eliminating prep periods will be a disaster for all teachers but especially for courses in the sciences and technology. Do parents really expect a teacher to spend 1-2 hours of their own time in setting up and cleaning labs? This could be the death knell for effective science and technology instruction in the school district.
How will the prospect of teaching six classes of 35-40 students without a prep period influence the hiring environment of this district?
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