Recognizing It
A recent article (in The New York Times on April 14, 2024) describes an initiative in a Brooklyn charter school in which the school day is extended to twelve hours. This solves two problems at once. For the schools, it counters the shrinking enrollment as families leave the city for more affordable places to live, since schools receive funding based on the number of students. For the families, it provides a safe, nourishing, and stimulating environment for their children during the hours that the parents have to work (and commute). And programs like these boost academic achievement and keep children out of trouble.
Designing It
In the hour before classes begin, students read books and tell stories. After the formal school day ends, students eat dinner, do their homework, play games, and engage in enrichment activities, which include music, art, and theater. Their parents come to pick them up at various times, as they get out of work. Sometimes the children don't want to leave but are reminded that they can come again in the morning.
Implementing It
Charter schools have more sources of income than traditional public schools, and therefore are more likely to be able to afford this kind of special program. The principal of this school felt the need "to do something radical," and, acknowledging that, was able to envision and implement this change.
Barriers
But even for charter schools, there are the barriers of inertia and custom. Some of these barriers are internal (in our own minds) and some are external (in the environment). For this principal, the need for "radical" change was a powerful enough stimulus that it overcame whatever internal barriers she might have had (or perhaps her internal barriers were minimal).
The article didn't describe what external barriers she may have had to overcome. Perhaps she had the authority to make these changes herself. Or, if she had to convince others, perhaps the shrinking enrollment was enough of a stimulus to overcome any barriers they may have had.
Internal Barriers
I have written previously about the process of creativity (1/3/24), but for any new idea, you will have to overcome whatever internal barriers you might have. The most effortless way to do this is by letting your Inner Guide deal with those barriers. If you don't yet have an Inner Guide, you can acquire it here: https://emotionalcomfort.com/blog/post/you-can-acquire-an-inner-guide-part-4
