Should school days be lengthened?

A few days ago I found an article while checking my email about how President Obama is planning to lengthen school days and shorten summer vacation. I had mixed feelings about this. Although I believe that children should get the most out of their education and plan to succeed I also believe that children should be children for as long as they can. They are not little adults and shouldn't have to sit at a desk and do work for any longer than they have to. School isn't the only important thing in a child's life. There are family, friends, hobbies, and fun. I would hate to look back at my childhood and only remember assessments and tests. Although I want to be a teacher I don't think that education is the most important thing in life. You only live once and you should enjoy it. Especially your childhood because it's the most important and defining part of a person’s life. The reason why they're trying to lengthen the school days is because they want to level the playing field with the children in other counties. In other countries children are going to school for longer periods of time and getting better grades. They want to make the children here just as smart as or smarter than them. But I feel as though it would cost them their childhood. They won't be able to hang out with friends, spend as much time with their family, or participate in extracurricular activities. I think that before they decide to put this plan into action they should think about the children and what’s best for them and their lives, not what needs to be done to be better than other countries.

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/09/29/2009-09-29_obama_plan_to_lengthen_kids_school_days_shorten_summer_vacation_could_stress_the.html

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my Premise of the School education blog. My name is Allison and I attend Salem State College and am in my second year. This is the first and only college that I plan on going to and I absolutely love it here.
I have always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I used to look after my little cousins and younger brother. I would help them with their homework a lot of the time because I was a few years ahead of them. My younger brother is the reason why I first thought about being a teacher. He has been deaf since he was about two or three years old when an operation went wrong. I watched him struggle throughout school and helped him with his work a lot at home. He got a lot of help through the special ed classes but in his usual classes he had a lot of trouble. When I got older and started taking education courses I began to think of all the different things that could be done in the classroom to help children that have difficulties learning. So I can't wait to become a teacher and positively impact and help the students in my classroom with and without disabilities.
As well as going to school full time I work four days a week at a nursing home in the kitchen. I absolutely hate it there and wish I could quit but I've been there for three years and don't feel comfortable starting at a new place. I really want to get a job where I can work with children but I just couldn't quit when I have such a stable job. As long as it pays the bills I'll be happy to work there.
I'll put some pictures in but I don't have any from when I'm not at an anime convention which is where a whole bunch of people get together and dress up as their favorite anime character. It's kind of like a trekkie convention or a comic con. Anyway enjoy the pictures of me and my cute animals I'll put in.