> instructions, excetera.  Then there is lunch, recess,
 > and so forth, with all
 > the lining up, to absorb more time.  I believe that
 > the actual class time spent
 > teaching is somethign like two hours a day.
(sighing) As a former teacher, I can say truthfully, "you're absolutely 
right". Add one more interruption: assemblies. *Sometimes* these are 
wonderful and educational. But my oldest came home today and said that they 
had an assembly today about a fundraiser. A few days ago, it was a "Good 
Citizen" assembly. These are 20-25 minute assemblies - plus by the time you 
leave the classroom, wait for the other classes to arrive and get seated, and 
then reverse the process after the assembly, 40 minutes has been lost from 
the school day. I'm personally not very thrilled about these fundraiser 
assemblies.
Personal story time: one time when I was teaching, I had
planned an educational yet fun movie for my students at the end of the month. 
They had worked very hard and really deserved it, and I felt that the movie I 
chose would be enjoyable *and* they would learn a lot about forestry, Oregon, 
and cougars while watching it. Well, the principal announced to me that we 
would be having a last minute assembly that day, to award kids for a 
fundraiser. Only three or four of my students were involved and I was 
expected to drop the movie -which the kids were looking forward to- in favor 
of sitting for an hour in the sanctuary. I politely refused, saying I'd send 
my 4 students who were to be awarded if he'd tell me what time the 2nd 
graders would get their award. For a long while I was not very popular with 
him, but the parents who heard the story were thankful that I went for the 
educational movie instead of the sanctuary wasted time! BTW, the movie was 
Disney's "Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar". The kids *loved* it.
                                 -donna
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