No. We don't need longer school days and a longer school year.

"Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," the president said earlier this year. "Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom." - Barack Obama

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I was an educator for 38 years. I taught greades JK though 8, grade 12 English, special education. music, andcourses for teachers at the university level. I was a vice-Principal and I spent 8 1/2 years as coordinator for our local board of education in Ontario, Canada.

I understand Obama's motivation in making this statement. North America is getting hammered by international competition, but I think he is wrong about the need to have longer school days and longer school years for three reasons.

1) First, ask yourself ... would I be a more effective, better balanced, and happier person now if I had spent a lot more time in school?

2) I am tired of hearing about our academic results being compared to those of kids in asian countries. A while ago there was a team of Japanese educators sent over to North America to study our systems and try to solve a serious problem - how to prevent having so many of their teenagers commit suicide under the pressure of schooling and examinations.

3) I know that most teachers do their best ... but look at the system. 20 -30 kids are crammed into a classroom and force fed a curriculum that they had no say in designing, ok, actually one that none of their parents helped to design either. Keep costs low ... treat academic learning as the only measure of success, and basically, you get what we've got. Do you really want more of the same?

I learned to read because of Huckleberry Finn.

I learned division because my sister and I couldn't play a game of marbles fairly if the bag full was not evenly divided.

I learned to investigate the best way of doing thigs because if you grab a crawfish the wrong way, it pinches you - hard.

I learned responsibility, manners, and respect for authority at home.

I learned cooperation, empathy and joy from my friends.

When I grew up and really wanted to learn how to do something, I studied. I don't remember being told how to do research in school, but when I needed those skills to complete a B.A., a masters program, and a doctorate, I knew what to do.

I can't see how I could have been any better prepared for life if my school days and school year had been longer.

Let's back off and give our kids time to be kids.