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Many school districts are moving to a 4-day week, but there are pros and cons to the approach.
American kids have fewer school days than most other major countries as it is, which poses a big challenge for families with two working parents. In a system designed for the "classic" stay-at-home mom model, it's difficult for many modern families to cover childcare and fulfill their work obligations during the many, many holidays and extra days off American children receive in school.
Some school districts, in fact, are ready to take things one step further with even fewer instructional days: for better or for worse.
Whitney Independent School District in Texas recently made news when it decided to enact a four-day week heading into the 2025 school year. That makes it one of dozens of school districts in Texas to make the change and over 900 nationally.
The thought of having the kids home from school EVERY Friday or Monday makes many parents break out in stress hives, but this four-day school week movement isn't designed to give parents a headache. It's meant to lure teachers back to work.
Yes, teachers are leaving the profession in droves and young graduates don't seem eager to replace them. Why? For starters, the pay is bad—but that's just the beginning. Teachers are burnt out, undermined and criticized relentlessly, held hostage by standardized testing, and more. It can be a grueling, demoralizing, and thankless job. The love and passion they have for shaping the youth of tomorrow can only take you so far when you feel like you're constantly getting the short end of the stick.
School districts want to pay their teachers more, in theory, but their hands are often tied. So, they're getting creative to recruit the next generation of teachers into their schools—starting with an extra day off for planning, catch-up, or family time every week.
Teachers in four-day districts often love the new schedule. Kids love it (obviously). It's the parents who, as a whole, aren't super thrilled.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
So far, the data shows that the truncated schedule perk is working. In these districts, job applications for teachers are up, retirements are down, and teachers are reporting better mental well-being. That's great news!
But these positive developments may be coming at the price of the working parents in the communities. Most early adopters of the four-day week have been rural communities with a high prevalence of stay-at-home parents. As the idea starts to take hold in other parts of the country, it's getting more pushback. Discussions on Reddit, Facebook, and other social media platforms are overrun with debate on how this is all going to shake up. Some parents, to be fair, like the idea! If they stay-at-home or have a lot of flexibility, they see it as an opportunity for more family time. But many are feeling anxious. Here's what's got those parents worried:
The effect on students' achievement is still unclear.
The execution of the four-day week varies from district to district. Some schools extend the length of each of the four days, making the total instructional time the same. That makes for a really long day, and some teachers say the students are tired and more unruly by the late afternoon. Some districts are just going with less instruction time overall, which has parents concerned that their kids might fall behind.
A study of schools in Iowa that had reduced instructional days found that five-days-a-week students performed better, on average.
Four-day school weeks put parents in a childcare bind.
Having two working parents is becoming more common and necessary with the high cost of living. Of course—"school isn't daycare!" But it is the safe, reliable, and educational place we send our kids while we we work.
Families with money and resources may be able to enroll their kids in more academics, extracurriculars, sports, or childcare, but a lot of normal families won't be able to afford that cost. Some schools running a four-day week offer a paid childcare option for the day off, but that's an added expense and for families with multiple kids in the school system, it's just not possible.
In a 4-day model, kids often (but not always) receive less instructional time. Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash
This will inevitably end with some kids getting way more screentime.
With most parents still working five-day weeks, and the cost of extra activities or childcare too high, a lot of kids are going to end up sitting around on the couch with their iPad on those days off. Adding another several hours of it to a child's week seems less than ideal according to expert recommendations.
Of course there are other options other than paid childcare and iPads. There are play dates, there's getting help from family and friends. All of these options are an enormous amount of work to arrange for parents who are already at capacity.
Working four days is definitely a win for teachers that makes the job more appealing. But it doesn't address the systemic issues that are driving them to quit, retire early, or give up their dreams of teaching all together.
@5th_with_ms.y Replying to @emory here are my thoughts on my 4day work week as a teacher✨ #foryou #fyp #fypシ #foryoupage #foryoupageofficiall #teachersoftiktokfyp #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #teachersbelike #teachertiktok #tik #tiktok #viralllllll #teachertoks #teaching #teacher #tok #viralvideo #teacherlife #viral #trendy #teacher #teaching #worklifebalance #worklife #publicschool #publiceducation #school #student
A Commissioner of Education from Missouri calls truncated schedules a "band-aid solution with diminishing returns." Having an extra planning day won't stop teachers from getting scapegoated by politicians or held to impossible curriculum standards, it won't keep them from having to buy their own supplies or deal with ever-worsening student behavior.
Some teachers and other experts have suggested having a modified five-day school week, where one of the days gets set aside as a teacher planning day while students are still on-site participating in clubs, music, art—you know, all the stuff that's been getting cut in recent years. Something like that could work in some places.
In any case, the debate over a shortened school week is not going away any time soon. More districts across the country are doing their research in preparation for potentially making the switch.
Many parents don't theoretically mind the idea of their busy kids having an extra day off to unwind, pursue hobbies, see friends, catch up on projects, or spend time as a family. They're also usually in favor of anything that takes pressure off of overworked teachers. But until we adopt a four-day work week as the standard, the four-day school week is always going to feel a little out of place.
This article originally appeared in February. It has been updated.
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"Annie, are you okay?"
As someone named Annie, I've spent decades fielding jokes made about my name, from references to "Little Orphan Annie" to "Annie Get Your Gun" to "Little Annie Oakley" to everyone's favorite lyric from Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal." So when a fellow Annie shared a public message on behalf of all of us, I'd never felt more seen:
"Hi, I speak for all women named Annie when I say this. Yes, we are okay. Yes, we know the sun will come out tomorrow. No, you are not clever for making those connections. Yes, I have heard it every time I meet a new person. You are not the smooth criminal who struck me. Thank you."
from mildlyinfuriating
If I had a nickel for every time I've heard, "Annie, are you okay?" and a dime for everyone who followed that up with, "I bet you never hear that, huh?" I'd be a wealthy woman. Obviously, there are more important things in the world than having your name become a meme, but it is mildly annoying to hear the same jokes over and over again your entire life, politely pretending that whoever is telling it this time is oh-so-clever. (Though, I will say, the commenter who wrote, "On behalf of everyone I just want to thank you for your white cheddar shells," did make me laugh.)
Apparently, Annie's mini-rant hit a nerve, not just with other Annies but with everyone whose name comes with the same pop culture references over and over.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The comments are filled with people pointing out the repeated name jokes they've spent their life putting up with, and it's wild how many there are:
"Hi, I speak for all women named Jenny when I say...my number is not 867-5309, you do not, in fact, have my number.
You can be fooled by the rocks that I've got, because I'm not, I'm not Jenny from the block."
"Yes. I'm a Tiffany. And no, we're not alone now."
"Similarly, no I will not beam you up. Also, I do know." – Scotty
"And here I am just wondering why people keep asking me where my lamb is and concerned about how my garden grows…" – Mary
"Joelene here. Yes, I will steal your man. All your men. They’re mine now."
"Hi Annie, I'm a white girl named Becky....."
"On behalf of all A-A-rons, it's not funny anymore."
A famous Key and Peele skit ruined Aarons forever. Giphy
"Chiming in for all Jakes here. We've seen the commercials. Yes, khakis, very clever."
"As a Maria, I'm very tired of people always singing my name. Too many damn songs with my name in it and it drives me insane how often it happens."
"My name is Hannah and my last name isn’t Montana and I know it’s a palindrome and also I am not a banana. I give it all a pass usually (with the palindrome I get to pretend to be Woo Young Woo) but I’m kind of done with the banana thing."
"Try being a man named Jesse and having people tell you they wish they had your girl. 😑"
"And are you saying that not all Roxanne's are working the street for money???"
"As a Felicia - quit saying bye. It’s old."
"As a Sam, I would like to travel back in time and assassinate Dr. Seuss so I feel you."
"As a Luke, the next person that claims to be my father owes my mother child support."
Poor Luke. Giphy
"Jagger here. No, I don’t have the moves."
"I feel it. My name’s Victoria. I get asked about my secrets a lot."
"As an Eileen, I already know I have to not be a klutz or else I get people singing Come On Eileen."
"As a Robin, please don’t 'tweedle dweedle deet' at me, or ask me where Batman is. I am not rockin’ and I truly don’t know."
"Feel ya girl. My name is Brandi. Used to work at a golf course club as a bartender/drink cart girl. The amount of times I’ve gotten 'you’re a fine girl?' Or 'what a good wife you would be' I got to the point where I’d avoid saying my name. 😭 Yes, I’ve heard THAT song before sir! & I love it so stop ruining it for me."
It may seem silly, but whether a name is connected to a popular cultural reference is something parents might want to consider when choosing names for their kids. While occasional jokes aren't the end of the world, sometimes it can be a genuine issue, as one person shared:
"As I’ve gotten older, I can deal with the annoying 'Sweet Caroline' references, but as a kid, it would make me so uncomfortable when adults would start enthusiastically singing it to me. My parents let me go by my middle name for a lot of my childhood because people really don’t listen when a kid says they’re uncomfortable, but of course, people would ignore that and demand my 'real name' and the cycle would start again."
Of course, name memes can't be predicted, as the people in the comments named "Isis" and "Tesla" can attest. And learning to take these things in stride probably builds character or something. But it is good to keep in mind: when you feel tempted to make an obvious name joke, the person on the other end has probably heard it a million times and might be over it.
As an Annie, I'm telling you: I'm okay. But I'm over it.
via Canva/Photos
A woman can't stand what she's hearing.
Some folks in this world just have to be right. All the time. Even when you present them with every fact imaginable that proves they are wrong, they will resort to any rhetorical tactic they can to make it seem as though they are right. If that doesn't work, they turn to personal attacks.
People like this can be infuriating to deal with because talking to them is like screaming at a wall. Fortunately, communication expert Jefferson Fisher recently shared a two-step method on TikTok for dealing with these impossible people.
Fisher, who has become massively popular online, offers tips "to help people argue less and talk more."
@art_for_feeling How to handle someone who is always right. 3 steps from @ Jefferson Fisher #power #insporation
Here is Fisher's two-step process for dealing with people who will never admit they are wrong:
Step 1. Diffuse the situation
"Know that the harder we work to prove that they're wrong, the more convinced they are that they're right," he says. "So what you're gonna do is diffuse that by just saying something simple as well, 'maybe you're right,' or 'maybe so.' That diffuses the whole situation."
Step 2. Open the conversation up
Fisher says you can encourage the other person to explore your ideas by saying: "'It's helpful for me to know that you're at least considering my thoughts, even if you don't agree with me.' Now you've made a safe space to have a discussion that's not threatening their identity. That's how you talk to somebody who thinks they're always right. So try that."
Two woman having a heart-to-heart conversation. via Canva/Photos
Why identity matters
In his video, Fisher notes that people who won't admit when they are wrong have developed an identity based on always being correct. That's why, when they're confronted with the possibility that they may be incorrect, they will do anything to avoid admitting it.
Research shows that when people feel their identity is being attacked, they perceive it as an affront to their authenticity and value as human beings. This can lead to a physical reaction known as the amygdala hijack, where people feel as if they are being physically threatened. That's a big reason some people get enraged when discussing politics or religion. If their views on these issues are closely tied to their identity and those views are challenged, it can invalidate their entire sense of self.
A man who has dug in his heels. via Canva/Photos
The 'backfire effect'
Fisher explains that the harder we try to prove someone wrong, the more convinced they become they're right, due to a psychological phenomenon known as the "backfire effect." When people are shown facts that clearly contradict their views, they often cling to those beliefs even more strongly. That's because those beliefs are tied to emotion, not facts. When their views are challenged, it triggers defensiveness, and the brain works to protect their self-image rather than reconsider the belief.
Getting through to stubborn people who always think they're right isn't easy, but Fisher's advice can help break through the wall they erect when their beliefs are challenged. It's good for you and the other person. When you're never wrong, you never learn from your mistakes, and that can quickly lead to problems far worse than admitting you were wrong.
A Gen Zer hangs with Boomers.
The Baby Boomer generation (those born from 1946 to 1964) often gets flak from younger generations. From their unique texting style to their approach to grandparenting and their perceived "angry" attitudes, Boomers are widely criticized.
But one Gen Zer on Reddit was curious about the good Boomers have brought into the world and asked a question aimed at surfacing positive takes on their impact: "What are the best things Boomers have done?"
People shared their thoughts on the great things Boomers have contributed to society. From social activism to supportive parenting and out-of-this-world cooking, here are 10 things to appreciate about Boomers:
Boomers laugh together.Photo credit: Canva
"Let's not forget how vocal and persistent the civil rights activists of the Baby Boomer generation were when protesting, including against the Vietnam War and racism and against women's oppression. Let's not forget how hard the artists, and especially musicians, of that generation worked to lift their voices LOUDLY and unflinchingly. Those Boomers served as my blueprint growing up, and they helped me see how to be a humanitarian." - BloodyBarbieBrains
"The recipes... I love all the pastries... Cookies and cakes!" - Ambitious_Welder6613
"Women in the workplace. Women able to get loans without a husband's signature. Civil rights." - Minute-Frame-8060
Elton John GIF Giphy
"They gave us some pretty good music. Elton John, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Page, Patti Smith, Neil Young, Elvis Costello." - gramersvelt001100, Ok_Still_3571
"I never hated Boomers like many others did. I find that most Boomers, especially those born in the 50s seem to understand the world is hard for youth and are sympathetic. The most generous people I know are Boomers whether it's tipping or giving you a gift for a small favor. I feel much of the hate is unwarranted and unfair." - Erythite2023
"Baby boomers get a lot of sh*t, but they heavily contributed to a lot of good things: civil rights, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, workplace protections, environmental laws, car safety standards, emission standards. If they screwed some things up, they also got a hell of a lot of things right. Boomers just lived their lives like everyone else does, doing the best they could. I really think when people complain, they should be honest about what they're doing differently than boomers did, and how they're going to make the world a better place so their grandchildren don't blame them for everything, too, which they probably will despite all efforts." - Electric-Sheepskin
Boomer couple poses together.Photo credit: Canva
"One big thing I credit them with is normalizing not having to dress so formally all the time for public settings. They were the ones who said 'f*ck no' to having to wear suits or skirts just to go run errands. I know they caught flak for that but I am very grateful for it😂." - Antique_Remote_5536
"My parents were baby boomers. while they certainly had their own set of issues, one thing I will always admire is their work ethic. It was one of the last generations that was raised with very little poor-me if that makes sense. My dad would show up to work with a good attitude and get all of his duties done without complaining while having the flu. Not because he didn't want to stay home but because that was just — normal back then. You made things work. He put his families security first over his sickness." - Forward-Air-4462
"They created the best forms of music and media. I don't care what anyone says today's stuff doesn't even begin to compare to the entertainment boomers created." - AroundTheBlockNBack
"Changed what it meant to age, mostly in positive ways. Older people were cast aside by industry and culture much quicker before they came along." - AnswerGuy301
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