Long school holidays 'should end'

[frogstamper]

Originally Posted by Taf

Sport should be voluntary and out of school hours though.

Look at the problem we have already with obese kids not doing enough exercise, if it was made voluntary it would be ten times worse. Besides sports in school is beneficial beyond just exercise, its great for building a sense of team spirit and also self worth, if anything kids today need more sport in schools.

[Angua]

They have tried to tweak the term lengths here (we have 6) so we end up with strange bits of time off at Easter and still too long terms September to December. Any longer than 6 week terms you can see the children flagging and finding things harder to complete and concentration is lost.

Rather than fiddle with the curriculum yet again, there should be a proper look at term lengths versus holiday length with some more flexibility built in to weeks where it is OK to take your child out of school for a family holiday without letting it be a block period where travel companies can fleece you.

[Nikesh]

I quite like the idea of having the holidays spread out more over the year rather than a long summer. I'd rather have the school year starting in January as well. They shouldn't have exams in January because who wants to revise over Christmas?

[ZrByte]

Back when I was in school I always liked the idea of the summer holidays being reduced to 3 weeks and having a longer Christmas holiday. With slightly longer half terms.

[Luke-The-Rocker]

Education is getting tougher and tougher on kids! Speaking as a 15 year old doing his GCSE corsework!
We are now the last year to do certain corseworks in the UK! This makes exams even more stressful, less holiday would just stress us more! We need a nice long break!
And speakinf from experience, I don't forget anything over the summer holidays!
Just the Government's way of cracking down on the idiots in our schools that put the rest of the normal and clever ones down!
Less holidays really will stress us more!
Lukee

[Zee]

i have 4 months summer holiday which is great! i love it
should be kept just the way it is.

[Bob]

...yet in several countries around the world kids have 3 months+ off in the summer and it doesn't seem to be doing them any harm

That's okay this supply teacher won't mind...I never get paid for the summer holidays anyway..I do suggest however if you take away the summer holidays you will have less teachers overall.

Because let's face it teaching teenagers is no holiday...and I wonder how many of the folk suggesting this are parents who regard teachers as childminders anyway?Well this child minder wants paying much better wages in that case.

[peanut]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

That's okay this supply teacher won't mind...I never get paid for the summer holidays anyway..I do suggest however if you take away the summer holidays you will have less teachers overall.

Because let's face it teaching teenagers is no holiday...and I wonder how many of the folk suggesting this are parents who regard teachers as childminders anyway?Well this child minder wants paying much better wages in that case.

Teaching is a vocation, if you can gumble about teaching teenagers and pay then why are you doing it for one.

As for parents thinking teachers are child minders then I think it one of those things that go hand in hand, kids go to school end of, does it matter what the teacher thinks the parents are thinking at the end of the day.

It's the same with nurses, they know what they sign up for yet when they qualify they then want more money. I think teachers get paid more than enough at the moment. (I think I better put my flack jacket on now).

I have great memories of my summer holidays. But today I must admit times have moved on, kids don't (or can't) do the things others did years ago.

Originally Posted by peanutkp

Teaching is a vocation, if you can gumble about teaching teenagers and pay then why are you doing it for one.

As for parents thinking teachers are child minders then I think it one of those things that go hand in hand, kids go to school end of, does it matter what the teacher thinks the parents are thinking at the end of the day.

It's the same with nurses, they know what they sign up for yet when they qualify they then want more money. I think teachers get paid more than enough at the moment. (I think I better put my flack jacket on now).

I have great memories of my summer holidays. But today I must admit times have moved on, kids don't (or can't) do the things others did years ago.

The reason why so many parents grumble about the holidays now is that more often than not both parents work, unlike my childhood when my mother was a housewife and didn't work.This means that during school holidays they have to make arrangements for childcare and even pay for it..Well as I already stated I don't get paid for holidays but if you want your children occupied during the summer then you will have to pay for it..

Teaching is no longer a vocation ever since SATs and league tables were introduced and Mrs T demanded it became a paying concern.If education is a commodity then it has to be paid for.

[frogstamper]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

That's okay this supply teacher won't mind...I never get paid for the summer holidays anyway..I do suggest however if you take away the summer holidays you will have less teachers overall.

Because let's face it teaching teenagers is no holiday...and I wonder how many of the folk suggesting this are parents who regard teachers as childminders anyway?Well this child minder wants paying much better wages in that case.

You certainly get my vote coggy, how many people here would trade places with you? let alone pay packets. It seems to me that nowadays that a fair few children and their parents have little respect for teachers, I remember a few years back a neighbour of mine going to the school his son attended to "have it out" with the teacher, because he had the temerity to put his little angel on detention for having a packet of cigarettes in his bag!! I mean if teachers can't rely on parents to back them up in cases like this, we are in a sorry state. As you say coggy a number of parents look upon schooling as mere child minding, where upon the "parent" can totally abrogate all responsibility, in my view you and your fellow teachers deserve every penny you earn, and then some, for what at times must seem a very thankless task.

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

Originally Posted by Enuff

What do teachers do in the summer hols when the schools are shut?

Who do you think prepares for the next year? Who do you think will have just done their day job and school reports in the evening?

If you dont think the 6 week holiday is a well earned rest for teachers then your observation skills are seriously lacking

[frogstamper]

Originally Posted by Wicked_and_Crazy

Who do you think prepares for the next year? Who do you think will have just done their day job and school reports in the evening?

If you dont think the 6 week holiday is a well earned rest for teachers then your observation skills are seriously lacking

Originally Posted by Wicked_and_Crazy

Who do you think prepares for the next year? Who do you think will have just done their day job and school reports in the evening?

Every evening for the full 6 weeks?

If you dont think the 6 week holiday is a well earned rest for teachers then your observation skills are seriously lacking

A well earned rest? Then why not let all workers in all professions have a well earned rest for a solid 5 or 6 weeks of the year?

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

Originally Posted by Enuff

Every evening for the full 6 weeks?

A well earned rest? Then why not let all workers in all professions have a well earned rest for a solid 5 or 6 weeks of the year?

errm no not a full 6 weeks, its every week they're teching they work evenings and also a good chunck on a Sunday.