Ontario, Canada has all but eliminated homework entirely until high school. There is absolutely no good data saying it helps in acquisition or retention of skills over the long term. Completion of homework is also strongly correlated along class lines. If Suzy has a stable home, is fed well, and gets good sleep, she will likely have time and resources to complete homework. If Todd doesn’t, he likely won’t. We should focus on the in-school instruction. As far as the length of day? If you keep the kids longer it will cost more so it’s unlikely many jurisdictions will raise taxes for that expenditure.

That’s so good to hear!

Water Purveyor wasn’t even on my radar - thanks so much for that insight! I will definitely look into it. I did worry there would be some certification barriers that might be difficult to achieve either because of time or expense. I’m on the east coast, though, so not perhaps in an area where water conservation is front of mind for many.

I don’t have a background in it. I’ve been a public school music teacher most of my career, but I’m also a lifelong nerd and the draw of making a difference in climate change using math has been just too attractive these last few years. In January I start online classes in statistics, Python, and data management/analysis from a local university. I don’t want to end up in a university lab though. I understand that breaking in in a new career will mean taking what I can get until I’m better experienced.

I’m looking to change careers into tech at 43. I’ve been a teacher my whole life but education is…just not a good job anymore. I’m very interested in data science and would love to end up working on climate modeling but I’m practical and understand that I should take what I can get. Anyone have some career wisdom they’d be willing to share?

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Yes - I am in the process of doing that right now. The results are mixed but mostly positive. Without going into too much detail, we were very good friends for 3 years at my first job out of uni but when my contract ended we lost touch. It’s about 20 years later now and although I still enjoy their company the friendship is very different. It’s helped me reflect on how I’ve changed since then. Definitely worth it, but not without challenge.