Comments about ‘First-hand experience: Maeser Academy gives students three weeks off to study their passions’

I was't aware of a school having less than the 180 days. However the article was ambiguous. How many days DOES Maesser put in seats? Does Winterim represent more or less days when counted in than the 180 days?

The program sounds amazing. It sounds as if they are really getting to the kids and causing them to think and plan for the future. It would be nice if we could have other schools offer the same. Some kids do nothing their Senior years, just take up space and money. Ask Rep. Buttars on his plan to nix 12th grade!! Programs like this are certainly a good use of time.

So we get to play for 3 weeks and call it school?

Sweet.

Can we go skiing at Sundance for 3 weeks and call it school?

Nice way to pad your attendance stats.

Sweet indeed.

Why can't they do these things during the summer vacation time?

What a good idea! Career and talent exploration still guided by teachers (and, of course, parents).

Internships are basically required now for a lot of majors at college. You can call that playing or padding attendance stats if you want to, but my internship prepared me for the job I work at now, and I've heard many of my peers say the same thing. It's never a bad idea to get a head start!

Yes, some kids are able to do great learning activities like this during the summer on their own, but it's nice to have the teachers offer some guidance and some ideas, and then take related classes on top of the activity - just like at university internships.

Ah, another private school propped up by taxpayer dollars.

My son attends Maeser and I can assure you his Winterim time was not padded. They spend just as many hours in instruction and activity as a student at a regular school. Many days they spent more than the required school hours working on papers and projects. The difference is that they focus on just one thing and get up close and personal with professionals in the field they are studying. The event cumulates in a science fair atmosphere with projects and performances that are showcased for the community and graded. While it is fun to have a change of pace, it isn't all play. The students work hard. It increases their love of learning. I could go on and on about the benefits to this opportunity.

Charter schools are not scams. They get way less money than the public school systems and overall give a better educational experience. We keep throwing money at standard public schools and get worsening education scores/tests/experience every year. Thats the real scam.

Charter Schools are glorified Private Schools that use public monies to pay their way while giving in to whining parents who demand to be involved in every single decision. They are a terrible idea and will eventually fail.

As for the 3 weeks off, how is Maeser completing the minimum number of days in classroom instruction that's dictated by law and that every publicly funded school must achieve? If they're counting on-job-site time as classroom instruction then the state board needs to get involved and apply restrictions on funding for the school.

I know many families who realized the folly of their attempts to get a 'better' education for their kids by putting them in charter schools. They've since withdrawn them from charters and put them back with their peers, where the re-acclimation into social circles has not been easy or quick. Think of the overall damage you do to your children by putting them where YOU think is best vs where it actually is best for them.

"Charter schools are not scams. They get way less money than the public school systems and overall give a better educational experience. We keep throwing money at standard public schools and get worsening education scores/tests/experience every year. Thats the real scam."

WAY LESS MONEY? Charter schools were sold to the public on the premise of "we can do more with less" and we expect them to do that! The public is tired of the whining from the Charter movement about funding. Many Charters do not provide the same level of services (some very expensive) that traditional public schools provide. They SHOULD operate on less!

SOME Charters provide a superior educational experience to that of the nearby traditional public school. Some traditional public schools trump the Charters. To imply that all Charters are "better" is misleading at best and downright inflammatory at worst.

I can't personally speak for all traditional public schools, but I know of MANY that are vastly improving their test scores and the overall educational experience provided to their students. It is a MYTH that these things are worsening at all traditional public schools.

BTW: I'm not anti-charter. I'm anti Charter Myth!

I can't speak for all charters but I know that Maeser has been a perfect fit for my daughter and most of the kids that attend. I don't think it would be a good fit for all kids but that is the beauty of diversification. One size fits all is not a good fit. I am blown away by the talented students that Maeser attracts and the amazing teachers who really care about the students! Academically, it IS challenging and my daughter has had to work hard to maintain her 4.0 GPA but she has grown so much and in her own words says "I love my school"! Maeser is not a good fit for parents looking for a school to baby-sit their kid and as a parent, I don't want those distractions in her education. Allow those kids to attend a school tailored to their needs were they can succeed without clipping the wings of those who have the ability to soar!!

I might suggest calling the State office to verify days in the seats, as I'm sure you will learn what I did that Maeser Prep met and/or exceeded in this area. Charter or Public, I think it depends on the child and the family. Why can't we all just play nicely in the sandbox? I think this Winterim idea is fascinating and provides students an opportunity that some of us will never get. As these students are just beginning to realize their potentials, I find it refreshing that Maeser Prep offers their students a way to captivate learning in a whole new light. Although a public school parent myself, I may have to check out this "evil" charter world and see what they have to offer.

This comment is directed at answering the questions of "Anonymous" who wondered about school days and seat time.

I counted up both school days and hours of seat-time, without including Winterim or the day of graduation.

Seat time here is not including passing time, lunch, mentoring time, or school assemblies. It is literally counting time in a classroom.

There are 129 full days, each with 6 hours 40 minutes of seat time. There are 28 half days, each with 3 hours 40 minutes of seat time. There are 6 days of final exams (3 for each semester) with a combined total of 32 hours of seat time.

If you do the math, you end up with 994 hours and 40 minutes over 163 days.

Winterim is 14 days, which brings the total school days to 177.

I think Winterim is a fantastic program. It allows the teachers to become mentors and to interact with students on a different level. It also creates opportunities for students to find a field in which they have interest. Keep up the great work!

Charter schools are known to engage students in learning in a very unconventional way and produce results.. change lives! Why is it that when we try something new and it works there is a line of 'old schoolers', pardon the pun, lining up to tear it down cause that's not the way it's always been done? Maybe, 'Charter Chaos', if there were more "whining parents" who wanted to be more involved in their children's education we'd have more people intelligent enough to take a deeper look into charters before they discount them as a waste of our tax dollars.

I don't think there is anything wrong with what Maeser is doing. I think it is important to remember that traditional school could not offer such a program, because the 990 hours doesn't matter, they have to be in class for 180 days. My question is why do the charter folks come out of the woodwork to criticize traditional schools every time there is an article about a charter school. Why do we make these idiotic comparisons between traditional and charter schools? The rules for charter schools are different, its an apples to oranges comparison. There is no way to prove one system is better than the other. Charter schools have the advantage, because they are not governed by near as many rules as traditional schools are. They should be able to do it better and cheaper, government red tape is very expensive. And a very big albatross around the necks of traditional public schools.

Maeser's Winterim project is amazing. Truely life changing. Being there, participating, really changed my schooling experience. We still have all the other weeks to learn normal stuff like math and english, and we go to school for 2 hours longer than public schools. We go to school just as long as anyone else, and our level of academics is higher, therefore more homework load and Winterim is just the break we all need; it's still school, but it's not school school. School without being boring.

My daughter is going to Maeser and we love love it, it has been the best experience ever, My daughter starts school at 7:30 and gets out at 3:10pm,she goes to school longer than the average high school, and still loves it and never complains, Her winterim was awesome, and to charter chaos, this school doesnt get much public money and I dont whine but i enjoy being involved in decisions concerning my daughter, I would rather be involved than send my kids to school to be "babysat",

Fred - it is because of comments like those from Charter Chaos that put charter advocates on the defense. It is unfortunate. Both traditional public schools and charter schools have incredible people working towards making a difference in the world. Both have examples of excellence and some not so much. One size fits all doesn't work. The number of days in a chair does not equal excellent education. Different doesn't equal bad or wrong. My children are different and traditional or charter may work for one and not for another. Finding a fit for my child where they can excel is what is important.

There are charter myths on both sides of the fence.

So to Charter Chaos and a few others above, let's look for the good and celebrate success, even if it isn't wrapped in a traditional package, rather than ridicule and condemn something we may not understand.

Personally, I loved hearing about Winterim. You can learn a lot outside of the walls of a traditional classroom. If anything, I'm envious that I didn't have those experiences in my school growing up. It may have helped me determine my major much sooner :)

Did you know that traditional public schools do have a wide array of programs just like what has been mentioned in this article. The problem is, people only seem to pay attention to the bad news about public education. We have wonderful programs that allow students to work in specific career fields as they learn.

Did you also know that we have plenty of charter schools that are failing the students. One I can even think of that doesn't believe in giving students grades. Their philosophy is that students should be there to learn just for the love of learning. The students design their own learning. I have news for them--most adolescents aren't mature enough for that philosophy to work for them. They need the grades to motivate them to work. They need more guidance and structure than that charter school provides.

I agree with the comments that one size doesn't fit all, in life as well as in education. We all have to think outside of the box. I think we all feel defensive when something we hold valuable is attacked. Public or charter, each has unique qualities and programs that fit the needs of the audience they are attracting. All of my children are different and may end up in both of these systems. I don't want to feel torn apart everytime I attend an event. I just want to do what is best for MY child, just like I'm sure you want to do what is best for yours. Charter may work for my oldest, but not for my youngest. I'm just happy that we have great educators who work in both!

Glad the charter parents got the word out to each other and started posting on here.

Is this the school that is built in the bowling alley on state street by the nursery?

Can a trip to Disneyland, the beach, and Knott's Berry Farm be counted as an internship for travel agents?

If so, I'm in.