With the recent letters about bussing and schedules, etc. I think everyone’s concerns and frustrations have been aired already. Although I agree with most of what has been said, I am not here to continue that conversation, complain more, or suggest a fix to a system that is obviously broken. What I would like is some ideas and suggestions, from two middle class working parents to another, which based on the comments on these letters it seems most people are.
The situation I am referring to is Friday.
The girls barely have 2 hours of school on Fridays. The school’s say that dismissal is at 11:30 (which in itself is crazy early), however what that really means is that dismissal is at 11 and the girls are HOME by 11:30.
My husband and I both have full time jobs. I am at work. My husband is at work. Tuition skyrocketed this year and we have to work to pay it.
I understand that this schedule is due to bussing, which in a different conversation, how the bus companies can decide when school starts and ends. I am not here to debate that point. We have spoken to the school about an after school program of some sort and got no where.
So l’maaseh the question is, what do you do with your girls on Friday? I can go into detail about all the creative ways we made it work so far but that is irrelevant. Wondering if anyone can any other solutions to this.
As a side point, I do want to say that I am of the opinion that teacher’s salaries SHOULD be raised, as well as the hours that they work, especially on Friday. If you work you get paid. That’s how the world works.
Looking forward to hearing your suggestions! Thank you!
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Why can’t the girls have school on Sunday instead of friday???
Let me just add to your question – how did it become normal that babysitters, Morahs and playgroups all stopped having school on Fridays all together???
With that being said 2hrs fr the girls in school is a lot better then babies home the whole Friday!
But for real – how could we maintain our jobs if we don’t have childcare??
As someone who lives in Toms River and sometimes gets bussing to the Lakewood schools, I completely agree.
The times when we don’t have bussing, I don’t send my daughters to work, simply because, by the time I get home, I have to pick her up.
(Yes, I live that far.)
The only suggestion that I have is to swap the boys and girls Friday schedule. Have the boys be dismissed earlier, since they start earlier anyway, and then have the girls get out when the boys usually do (Around 12:30PM).
Other than that, I want you to know that you’re not alone in this challenge, and I wish there was something else we could do.
They say it’s because the boys need the busses after. So let the boys end at 1 or 130 and let the girls end 12 and 1230. The Friday schedule for the girls is a complete joke.
You have busing home, can you not hire an older girl to sit with them.
When I did not have bussing most of the time my girls did not go to school because how was I suppose to get them home?
I am all in for no School (high school) Friday and instead have a short day Sunday, Like 10:00 to 1:00
The girls for the most part waste their Sunday wake up late … let them wake up a bit late, start school 10:00-1 by the time the get home 1:30 most of the day has gone .. and let them stay home and help out on Fridays.
You call that seichel? And when do the high school girls relax, huh? They come home on Friday with ample time to help out. Sunday is their day to relax and yes, rest. So what if they wake up later than usual? On a regular day, the girls are waking up at 7:00 latest. So they have two days to sleep late? What’s wrong with that? If that’s how they want to spend their off day, that’s their choice. It’s not a waste of a day if they are enjoying that. Do you remember when you were in high school? Also, what makes you think they’ll wake up any earlier on a Friday than a Sunday? Ask any high schooler you know and you’ll have a VERY clear answer. (If you can hear above the screams of agony)
Yes I have been saying this for years and nobody seems to care. They need to staggered times more than usual. It shouldn’t be a boys one time all girls another time I need to stagger the times. Yes there is no reason for Mesivta boys to finish at 12:30 or high school to finish at 11:15 or 11:30 Why can’t they both finish at 12:30 or one? What they’re gonna say is they need the girls home to help but that’s not true. The majority of the girls don’t help like they used to anymore. It’s a different generation and even if they come home Later, they can still help they can also help on Thursdays. Now, for elementary During the week for the mornings Change it either girl start earlier and boy start later or start later and girls start earlier. And I’m not talking about 15 minutes. Maybe the boys can start at 8:30 and the girls can start at 9:30 Hi, Boys can start at 8:45 and Girls can start at 9:30 or 945. Either way, if people work on it and care, they can make it work. It happens to be. I don’t put my kids on a bus, even though I am entitled to Transportation I bring my children and pick them up but that’s cause I’m able to.
Oh and no one outside Lakewood should get bussing that’s another reason why the busses can’t get to other schools on time and there Aren’t enough buses to begin with so shouldn’t The Lakewood children or have bussing shouldn’t Lakewood come first nobody told anybody to move out of Lakewood when you move out of Lakewood you should understand you’re not getting Transportation that’s your problem. I am sick of Everyone outside of Lakewood complaining and the schools, trying to accommodate them instead of our Lakewood students
For the people who said to have school on Sunday instead of Friday, how does that help working parents? We have jobs. Traditionally, said jobs are during the workweek (Friday, not Sunday).
How should we hold down our jobs if our daughters are not in school? If we can’t both have jobs, how should we pay tuition? The infinite loop continues.
Better question – to all working parents (where both parents work) – where does your daughter go when you are working on Friday?
This way you can hire an older girl to be with your young one while at work.
I’m not a proponent of the idea, but it sounded to me like an idea just for the high schools.
Don’t worry the busses are in raffic for two hours. Have a neighbor look out just in case. Also we shoukd all move to Israel one day.
Agree on the Israel part!!!!!
I live near a chasidish girls school. They have normal hours on Friday. I believe they are there till 1230. They have their own buses so they do not have Jays dictate their school hours, unlike my girls who literally are in school for less than two hours on Friday.
We need to copy their schools and get our own buses.
Here in Baltimore, where don’t have bussing, my boys’ school ends at 1:30 year round, as does my girls’ school. The girls school used to end 2:45 in the summer months and 2:15 in the winter, to accommodate working parents. My husband and I both work and 1:30 is perfect. They get home at 2:00, perfect time IMO
how about the mesivtas who dont have bussing on fridays? i have boys in different ones and the all end same time . how is one person supposed to be in both places at once?
Why can’t mesivtas end 130? Then they can get bussing after the boys dismissal
This is comical, without it actually being funny. Your “job” as a mother is to parent your child. The school is not your babysitter. Reconstruct your priorities. Many companies do a 4 day work week. Be a pioneer in your job. Work remotely if possible on fridays.
LOL have you noticed how much it costs to maintain a frum family? We all wish full time motherhood was more feasible. Clearly you are either single, childless or very wealthy. This is a pretty ignorant comment.
What a painful and hurtful comment.
Two wrongs do not equal a right.
The Mitzva to correct someone is only for a person who knows how to correct without causing unnecessary pain.
Which part was painful or hurtful? The lol addressed the fact that the commenter thought it was funny to tell working mothers that their priorities were messed up because although “school is not childcare” was the saying for many years, now that both parents need to work in order to pay tuition and cover bills, this is no longer the case. School is the childcare arrangement that allows parents to pay those bills. And if you are not a parent of children, you cannot feel this particular pain so that thoughtless comment is what’s wrong here. Pointing out the facts that a person should not comment unless in another’s shoes, should not be hurtful.
I’m confused by all the comments…..
The writer asked that he has discussed after school activities with the school and his question is “what do you do with your girls on Fridays” i.e they sit around.
Was that the question???
If so, I don’t understand….why can’t they help at home to cook, clean, chores etc since it seems you and your wife are so busy!!!
Truly perplexing……
That is great once they are old enough.
For a young family (which I suspect is the case for this letter writer, may have children too young to reliably expect this from.
In the year 2024 most girls are not interested in spending 4 hours on Friday preparing for Shabbos.
They will be excited to help on Thursday for 2 hours and on Friday for 2 hours.
This is the generation of today.
It’s obvious from your comment that you grew up in a different generation.
Also I wanted to mention
What happened with
אל תדין את חבירך
עד שתגיע למקומו
And
מצוה לדון את חבירו
לכף זכות
You raised them this way so enjoy them now! No pity from me.
You’re telling me all this traffic for only 2hrs of school that’s just not making any sense . We are doomed
More busses more routes. Stop pocketing our money…
Schools MUST start combining bussing if everyone bussed with their neighbors this would stop. Mesiftas MUST start combining ending time and combining with other Mesiftas. This would solve all the issues. LSTA has the routes ready to go we need to agree.
There is no answer. No good answer, no bad one, no right one, no wrong one. There is absolutely no answer. Each person has to fend for themselves and figure it out on their own, there is no answer that one answer that will solve everyone’s problems. What will solve your issue with make someone else’s schedule turn up side down….everyone has their own life and needs and do what you need to do. Sounds like a hard pill to swallow, but unfortunately that’s the way it is.
The reason boys end at 12:30pm on Fridays is because public schools end 1:30 everyday including Fridays!! The buses are needed for their runs then.
Only 2 public schools end at 1:30. The high school and the middle school. The other 4 end at 2:45.