🐴 The 3-day school week (#116)

Meet the former principal suggesting we've got the high school schedule all wrong

Author

Charlie Deist
January 20, 2025

Is anyone else's brain still in weekend mode? Same. Perfect time to question why we're still doing school like it's 1903.

In this edition:

  • The case for a 3-day school week

  • The classroom photo that's making parents question everything

  • A Post-it note trick that gets kids talking

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💡 THOUGHT

Questioning the 30-hour school week

We expect teens to be in class 6+ hours a day, then stack on homework, sports, and college prep. When do they get to explore real careers or earn money?

What if instead of defaulting to 5 full days, teens could attend classes 3 days a week and use the other days for work, apprenticeships, or hands-on learning?

When teens can work real jobs or complete internships during high school, they make better decisions about their next steps. They can evaluate whether college makes sense for their goals or if they should jump straight into their career.

Your teenager's potential isn't measured in classroom hours.

📊 TREND

Same Room, Different Century.

Compare a classroom photo from 2025 with one from 1905. You might notice the tablets on desks or a smartboard instead of chalk. But the core setup – rows of desks, teacher at the front, kids sitting still – hasn't changed in over a century.

"Think about that," says former public school principal Jon England in our latest podcast. "Every other industry has found better ways to do things. Why not education?"

The answer, he suggests, lies in a well-intentioned but flawed approach: trying to be everything to everyone. Public schools are asked to serve every student, meet every requirement, and follow every regulation.

The result? "They do a lot of things, but they don't do a lot of things very well."

This leaves passionate teachers with a tough choice: follow the rules or follow their instincts. As England notes, "The good teachers just decide to be civilly disobedient and do what they think is best."

🛠️ TOOL

The Exit Ticket

"Before students can leave class, they have to hand me a 'ticket' – just a quick note showing what they learned," says physics teacher Abby Randall. "It takes two minutes, but it reveals exactly what clicked and what didn't."

The concept is beautifully simple:

  • End of learning block

  • Quick question or problem

  • Short written response

  • Instant feedback loop

Want to try it at home? Keep a stack of Post-its near your learning space. Before transitioning to the next activity, have the student jot down one thing they learned and one question they still have.

It’s not about testing them. It’s about giving kids a low-pressure way to say "I don't get it yet."

MONDAY MEME

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

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