When reading the Sun Journal editorial, “A problem of time and cost in our schools,” (July 1), one might think that the editorial board believes that the only time students learn is when they are sitting in the classroom. But doesn’t learning take place 365 days a year?

The school administration in Auburn recognizes that fact and is moving to institute a process to support it.

The Maine school year is 175 school days for students (and 183 for Auburn teachers). Take those 175 days of school and devote two hours per week for common planning time. Are teachers now working two fewer weeks? They will still be in the building improving their craft.

It is not about the school year (or school days) becoming shorter; it is about more effectively incorporating education (learning) into life.

According to the editorial, teachers are reluctant to add extra hours to the workday “without pay,” and yet they do, every day. Using the same math as the editorial staff, I work five or six hours extra hours each normal school week in order to do all that is required of me. Does that equate to five or six weeks beyond the school calendar?

Auburn’s efforts center around “Mass Customized Learning.” However, MCL is not a technique as the editorial suggests; it is a transformation. It is second-order change — replacing current practices with an entirely new structure. The goal is to create a system that will turn our students into successful learners for the 21st century. But the process is difficult and complicated. It requires collaboration.

The role of education is to create thinkers who understand learning is life-long. Educators must inspire students to become intrinsically motivated and independent learners.

The proposed planning time is not meant to “shorten” the school year; it is meant to provide weekly opportunities for teachers to become more effective facilitators. If students are motivated to learn, the amount of time spent in the classroom becomes less relevant, because learning continues past the last bell of the school day.

No matter what decision a school board will make, I, like every other teacher in Auburn, will take time to implement necessary change to create a better atmosphere for learning. Allowing common time (the existing school day is the only time teachers have in common) for this important transformation to be done collaboratively will make change much more effectual.

The editorial closes by suggesting that Auburn teachers should be “just like the rest of the teachers in Maine.” As Maine school systems abandon the outdated industrial age model of education and move into MCL, perhaps they will become just like us.

Arthur Feeley, Auburn