Blog 70

In the USA there is a lot of talk about studying four days a week, and there is also lots of controversy. After the recession began budgets are tight, and school authorities are faced with a challenge; how can they reduce expenses?

So what does it mean? To students the four day option means longer days from Monday to Thursday. On the face of it an extra day off is another day for fun. In theory at least I think many students would jump at the opportunity to have three days off a week to relax. That isn’t all together true as homework will probably enter the equation.

One way to look at the situation is students study in order to prepare for work. Generally as an employee the average work week is between 5 to 6 days a week, so if students become accustomed to having so much free time, because as it stands they have plenty of holiday breaks right now then will they adapt to the career environment? From my point of view as a full time worker it seems ludicrous to follow this path, but on the other hand I remember coming to the states for a three month vacation in 1984 and doing just that.

My experience was in Raleigh, North Carolina where I met a friend of my younger brother from school, whose father was an American. He let me crash at his place and gave me a job as a painter on a building site. In those days it was cash in hand, twelve hour days, and four days a week. Friday was spent sipping Budweiser at the condo pool in the midst of summer amongst other things. It was my first taste of the USA, and I loved it big time. Life in comparison to England seemed surreal.

Those four day weeks from my prospective were brilliant. I could extend my pleasure time and live life to the full. I purchased a four liter Pontiac for $500 and at one stage slept nights in it after becoming an electrician on a new development.  

Incidentally, I thought from the learning prospective that school days are long enough already. After all one can only absorb so much information in one stretch, so although some students might cope, others will certainly suffer!