In my country school for kids ends at 4pm, but they have extra-curricular activities (gym, music/theater and English) up to 5:30pm. The fact is those activities are taught in a chaotic classroom and those teachers that only give one hour per day don't have any sort of authority. Makes me wonder... what is my kid doing there?
Well, I guess you should at least be grateful that these sort of classes are still being done even if they do seem a bit of out control. The reason I say this is because here in the United States when schools cut back on the curricuim its those type of special classes that are cut first, namely the arts. Its kind of sad when we stop to think about it, these are the classes where kids get to have some fun, which might be what you are seeing. Where they get to be creative, where they get to enjoy themselves a bit. Also, recess seems to be becoming less and less in its time, which is wrong, because kids need that time to unwind along with having a little fun. Some think schools should be all about learning, maybe they should but kids do need that time to be kids as well.
Yeah, from that perspective I guess it's better that they still exist?... Either cases, I feel that discipline should exist and I really don't see that in the classroom, that is saddening. At the same time is sad too that you pay your taxes and school doesn't cover the parents needs while they work.
1 hr of extra-curricular activity time certainly sounds like too little, I doubt anything meaningful could be achieved in such a short time period. 2-3 hours is the norm for children/teens where I live. I think that such activities are important in maintaining a balance between studies and development in other areas of the student as well, particularly discipline and teamwork with regards to sports.
Yes, it's nothing. How do they expect that the teacher creates a relation with them if they only seem them once per week? And not to mention the contents, how can they learn a foreign language with just one hour per week?
