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Are school holidays to long?
- Thread starter ruby
- Start date
RitalinKid
New Member
The breaks are too long. I'm all about the quarter system or trimesters. On the contrary, lots of kids use the summer to work, where they learn interpersonal and group working skills, as well as learn the value of money, and some study abroad or travel, both of which can complement book learning.
ruby
New Member
I agree summer jobs are an important part of learning interpersonal skills etc but i wont let my girls do it as under a certain age in the uk they would only get £2.75 an hr,i wouldnt get out of bed for such a small amount its slave labour! For example a women age 30 doing the same work would get £6 an hrRitalinKid said:
Robert
Active Member
ruby said:What do you do with them for that long?
There is always something to do. My daughter loves to swim and has a choice of the lake or the pool. She also likes to ride her bike and take long walks. Our house sits on a lot backed up to a national park, so she has some nice paths to walk if she wishes to avoid the street. Other then that, there is always video games, her art and she has been known to read. Anything else is hard on my wife because we live far enough away from the city that my daughter needs a ride to go shopping or to see a movie.
novella
Active Member
I'm really glad my son has so much time off. It's the only chance he gets to visit his grandparents in England and NYC. He also plays trumpet in a Legion Band, giving concerts for the elderly and marching in parades, and he plays the piano. He's working on bugle to get good enough to play military funerals. He also plays on the golf team, which practices every weeknight evening in summer (they have a short season in the fall). Without time off, he wouldn't be able to do any of this.
Plus, I pay him $6/hr to mow, paint fences, repair things, etc. He also want to play in the pit orchestra of a local summerstock theater, but he's a little too young.
I don't see how anyone could consider that wasted time. If your kids don't know how to amuse themselves now, they might never learn.
Plus, I pay him $6/hr to mow, paint fences, repair things, etc. He also want to play in the pit orchestra of a local summerstock theater, but he's a little too young.
I don't see how anyone could consider that wasted time. If your kids don't know how to amuse themselves now, they might never learn.
Motokid
New Member
On the flip side of that novella...there's many kids that are so booked up during the school year with school, sports, music lessons, jobs....that they never have any time to really relax and de-program....
....not having to care about, or know about which day it is, and what time it is for any length of time is such a blessing.....sometimes being bored is a good thing....
....not having to care about, or know about which day it is, and what time it is for any length of time is such a blessing.....sometimes being bored is a good thing....
Patchwork Girl
New Member
I've been off since May 20th...but technically I had my exams for about a month after that so it doesn't really count.
But the summer holidays are great, but I can see why parents despair sometimes, and also it's harder to go back after such a long break.
But the summer holidays are great, but I can see why parents despair sometimes, and also it's harder to go back after such a long break.
novella
Active Member
Motokid said:
Yeah, that's true. My kid likes to have a lot of stuff going on, mostly because he's an only child and we live in very isolated circumstances, so he gets to connect with his friends by having stuff lined up.
I'm from a big family, though, and spent every summer bobbing in the ocean and riding waves for about 8 hours a day. I never put shoes on unless I had to. It was the best.
Kookamoor
New Member
I don't really understand the loooong summer holidays they have in North America. It means that there's less of a break during the school year.
In Australia for primary and secondary schools there are 4 terms, and a holiday between each. So you get 2 weeks at easter, 2 weeks at winter, 2 weeks at spring and about 6 or 7 weeks or so in the summer (ie: christmas time). It really breaks up the year. As you get older you start to use some of those holidays to catch up on school work and the like.
I agree that summer holidays are great for getting work and earning money, but at the same time, I think it's better to have more frequent breaks to prevent kids getting burnt out.
In Australia for primary and secondary schools there are 4 terms, and a holiday between each. So you get 2 weeks at easter, 2 weeks at winter, 2 weeks at spring and about 6 or 7 weeks or so in the summer (ie: christmas time). It really breaks up the year. As you get older you start to use some of those holidays to catch up on school work and the like.
I agree that summer holidays are great for getting work and earning money, but at the same time, I think it's better to have more frequent breaks to prevent kids getting burnt out.
novella
Active Member
Kookamoor said:
It has a lot to do with the agricultural season in the US. Years ago when the schedule was established, kids were needed to do farm work all summer, but they weren't needed in the winter.
Once it was established like that, the teachers union got their teeth into it and they'll never change it. The teachers like to have all that time off in the summer.
mehastings
Active Member
My brothers and I always had things to do during the summer. We were members of a beach club and were there daily for years. When we weren't at the club we played with each other or invited friends in the yard. We visited the library often. We fought a lot and constantly whined about how we weren't allowed to watch TV, but that's just part of being a kid. I don't know if I would trade in summer vacations. There's nothing like leaving school in mid june and knowing you don't have to go back until labor day.
I don't disapprove of extended breaks but I sure wish they had a full summer school program or summer long camps or something [iexpensive] so that parents aren't forced to go into debt paying for daycare over the summer break. I wish Christmas and spring breaks were one week rather than two - again because it costs too much to have your child in daycare during the time that you can't get off work. Not everyone gets two or more weeks of vacation a year, most especially those who would be burdened by the extra expense of daycare during school breaks.