MILFORD, DE -- The Milford School Board is contemplating a proposal for the 2024-25 school year that would see students engaging in "self-directed" learning from home for four days during the calendar year.
The proposal, put forth by the district's Chief Academic Officer Kelly Carvahal-Hageman, aims to provide students with more autonomy over their learning process, while teachers would have the opportunity to grade papers and exams, prepare lesson plans, and engage in professional development. However, not everyone is in favor of the idea.
Milford School Board member Adam Brownstein expressed concerns about the proposal, stating that he believes students benefit more from being in the classroom with teachers.
"That's not to say that kids can't learn things in other, independent or sort of unusual outside the box ways," says Brownstein. "But to have four days out of a calendar year that are quote on quote "self-directed" would be less beneficial for the kids than having those four days sitting in a classroom in front of teachers."
Brownstein's viewpoint is shared by some parents, who fear that the proposal could bring back memories of the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was not good for our family," says parent Travor Payton. "It was pretty much miserable having the kids at home all the time not wanting to do school work. To have them at home doing school work, I don't think it's a good idea."
John Mollura, a parent in the Milford School District and husband to a teacher, believes that the proposal could help alleviate some of the increased responsibilities that teachers now face.
"There's been a huge shift in the amount of responsibilities teachers have," says Mollura. "It's no longer just preparing your lesson plans and grading papers. There is so much that they need to do and not only more to do, but legal ramifications if they make a misstep."
In a statement to WBOC Carvahal-Hageman says:
“The Milford School District proposed a calendar for the upcoming academic year that prioritized student learning, driven by academic results, while providing the necessary professional development required to equip our teachers and staff with the learning resources they need. The calendar was developed with careful consideration by a committee of stakeholders including administration, teachers, parents, and various community stakeholders. Based on the feedback from the Milford Board of Education during February’s board meeting, we will present a revised calendar during the March board meeting. We thank our board, educators, and community for their feedback.”
The revised calendar will be presented to the school board at their next meeting on March 18th and will potentially be voted upon.