Think about it...in the United States at least, summer vacation for schoolchildren was created out of necessity. The kids were needed during this time of year to help out on the farm during the harvest. Ma and Pa needed young Johnny and Gertrude to work the fields and pitch in with all the extra canning and whatnot.
News flash: we haven't lived in a mainly agrarian society for a looooooooong time. And I don't know how to find accurate statistics, but I would assume that there are more families in which both parents work outside the home than not. So why do we continue with this summer vacation thing? Aside from teaching, I can't think of any work situation that offers nine consecutive weeks of vacation (the thought is laughable, actually).
Why do we have to force moms and dads to scramble every spring to find appropriate "camps" for the kids and then shell out $200-$250 per week, per kid, to keep them safe and occupied during work hours? It's insane. It's absurd.
Who is perpetuating this nonsense? I know the teachers' unions are powerful in this country, but I can't imagine they're powerful enough to keep holding the rest of the parent population hostage like this.
And it's not like I'm totally against giving kids a break: they're kids, for goodness sake, and they need a chance to play before they have to join us grown-ups in the rat race. But a two-and-a-half month vacation is totally unrealistic in modern society. How about breaking it up into a few three- or four-week blocks or something? I think we could all happily deal with that, right? How do we get this beach ball rolling?
(I still have more to say about summer vacation. Stay tuned.)
I agree. And there are school districts scattered around that have a 12 month curriculum, they just have a few extra 2-3 week breaks scattered throughout the year. It's an idea I love. Unless you're into/able to homeschool over the summer, or afford great daycare, kids just turn to mush. Plus, I remember being SO BORED by the time week 4 of summer came around.
ReplyDeleteYarrrrrrr, Domestic Pirate (sorry, I just had to). I'm sure you didn't MEAN to make me think of it in a positive light, but...I never considered HOMESCHOOLING during the summer! That's not a bad idea. Maybe, like, an hour a day or something. I've been toying with the homeschooling option in my head when the kids are older, and that would give me a little taste of it and insight into what kind of students the boys might be.
DeleteLOL, sorry to be so serious, but it was a good idea! :)
Year round school is the answer for that. I think there are 4 week breaks ever so often. I'm kinda 50/50 on the summer vacation thing for kids. I get it, that kids need a break but it is really hard ( and expensive) for working parents.
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