*Everyone, including students, needs time to relax and rest, especially on days when life *goes so quickly. Firstly, long holidays will burden the parents because it requires a lot of cost. Should students have a long summer holiday or should terms be longer? "Research Spotlight on Year-Round Education." In addition, students get to visit new places on holiday. But as good as Summer Vacation is, how would you like the opportunity to have more frequent breaks and improve school academics? Remediation can occur when it is most needed during the school year. Niche.com, 12 April 2017. BusinessInsider.com, 5 June 2017. With a longer holiday break, students get time to travel and spend time with family over the break. Single-track year-round education involves an entire school using the same calendar and getting the same holidays off. In my opinion, for the good of the general public, schools should not have very long holidays. Also, the summer holidays are in a period where there are few other seasonal events in the UK, such as Christmas and Halloween, so they would be the most productive time to get work done with fewer interruptions. Advocates say the shorter breaks make it easier for students to retain knowledge and are less disruptive to the learning process. The normal breaks for holidays and spring remain in place with this calendar. For example, if children have green fingers, they can spend more time on gardening. Alex, Cheshire. The most common application of year-round education uses the 45-15 plan. Like during summer or winter holidays, they go with their families to different cities and countries. Apart from schooling, they have to spend a lot of time doing their homework and attending tuition classes as well. While some people believe that schools should have several holidays since they rejuvenate the kids regularly and offer safety during extreme weather, others think that children should have one long summer holiday as it allows sufficient time to develop additional skills. ... when they should otherwise have a respite from their school duties. Short breaks provide time for students to receive enrichment education. Now if there is a long holiday, it is like a knife that was not sharpened regularly, therefore students may be stupid in their young age, when … School holidays haven’t always been long. Secondary students in Ireland also have longer school holidays than most countries in Europe. Longer breaks such as the winter holidays allow families an opportunity to reconnect. In England it's 38 weeks. Some people have the opinion that school children should be entitled to long holidays while the others disagree. Holidays work as a wonderful tonic to fight mental and physical fatigue. It is true that many parents face problems during long school holidays as their children waste their time by spending it on undesirable activities such as playing too much computer games and getting into bad company. Detractors say the evidence to support this assertion is unconvincing. Summer marks the break between one school year and the next, and you need the long holiday to make that divide so you're properly into your new … Students attend school for 45 days, or about nine weeks, then take off for three weeks, or 15 school days. Holidays from regular school are a crucial component of education. With Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all so close together, winter break never seems long enough. Student summer employment becomes virtually impossible. Why should holidays be longer when we already have weekends and public holidays. School work, especially in junior high and high school, becomes a child's job. When implementing any significant change, involving all stakeholders in the decision and the process improves the outcome. Schools should respect holidays that are important for other religions and cultures such as the Hindu holiday of Diwali, the Islamic holiday of Eid, the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, the Chinese Lunar New Year, and so on. They will come back to school feeling re-energized. Examples of activities that assist to develop close family ties are having a picnic at the seaside and playing sports and games. Long holidays will also give opportunities to children from privileged homes to take part in enriching out-of-school activities. With the five days week culture creeping in the corporate sector these days working people are also able to plan holiday trips every now and then. They published a piece in 2016 arguing literacy and numeracy sc… People nowadays say that school children should not have long holidays. ... then I have a long list of chores I can consult for a way to keep them occupied. National Education Association staff. They get ample time to relax, indulge in their hobbies and go on holiday trips. Year-round school in the United States is neither a new concept nor an unusual one. Schools on year-round schedules can accommodate more students through multitracking. ESSAY STRUCTURE – 5 PARAGRAPHS 1ST – Introduce the task. Students tend to forget a lot during the summer, and shorter vacations might increase retention rates. In Germany it's 40. "Schools Without Summer Break: An In-Depth Look at Year-Round Schooling." Students forget information just as easily with a three-week break as 10. Band and other extracurricular programs can run into problems scheduling practices and competitions, which often take place during the summer months. From my point of view, school children should be given long holidays. Oxford only have 24 weeks of teaching per year. by Lauren MJ Connelly 3927. Apply for scholarships and internships. Through holidays, they get new experiences and memories which they remember for a lifetime. It is also a fact that the majority of the students waste their time on idle pursuits during long holidays. It should be a school’s duty to accommodate the holidays that its students and staff wish to celebrate. Share 1. Other ways to organize the calendar include the 60-20 and 90-30 plans. The focus for students moves away from school and onto family and culture. Should Students Be Required to Do Homework over the Holidays. 5TH – Conclude the writing. The most common application of year-round education uses the 45-15 plan. The normal breaks for holidays and spring remain in place with this calendar. Whereas, others support the opposite opinion. Multiple-track year-round education puts groups of students in school at different times with different vacations. Therefore, teachers on a year-round system end up with four periods of review instead of just one at a new school year. Say three months is good enough for the students to do their own stuff. Multitracking usually occurs when school districts want to save money. One of Oxford’s greatest charms is its sense of continuity. And although many college students … Studies have not conclusively proven the academic benefits. So why do our teachers need such long holidays?, writes John Downes. Students are lucky to get several holidays during the year. The institutions and the schools have holiday seasons and holiday periods on their schedules for the students as summer and winter breaks. Students attend school for 45 days, or about nine weeks, then take off for three weeks, or 15 school days. In orthodox faith for example, Christmas is celebrated for twelve days from December 25th- January 6th. The long 3 month break that a student gets in school to relax, go on vacations, and to be as lazy as they want to be. The arrival of long school holidays is also a good time for children to strengthen their family ties, since families need to spend time together in order to bond. The freedom of school children is normally restricted by their parents during the school days as they want their children to focus on their studies in order to pass their examinations with flying colours. The vacation time is a great time for students to take a mental breather from school. Oxford students on their way to their last exam in May. We don't need longer holidays. Reflect on the semester gone by. This can be extremely beneficial to them and helps them be better equipped especially when they grow up and starts working in the society. If there was ever a time to apply, it’s now! Summer programs such as youth camps suffer. As public health experts have already warned, Americans should not expect to celebrate the holidays traditionally this year. In the Republic, second-level teachers teach for 33 weeks a year. With multitracking, parents could have students at the same school on different schedules. When children involve in family activities such as cleaning the house and preparing a meal, they learn about the spirit of cooperation and burden-sharing, thus promoting strong family ties. 3RD – Talk about leisure activities in the holidays. This is an interesting question, especially as I have just finished teaching for the year and begun the long summer holidays myself. Others said it could help schools reduce overcrowding by staggering start times throughout the year. Therefore, I disagree that school children should not have long holidays.eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'english312_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',147,'0','0'])); Tips for scoring high marks in examinations. You don’t have to … In New South Wales, between the late 1840s and the late 1850s, children only had one week off at Christmas. Bonus is you can spend time with friends at school/ get new friends. Niche.com staff. Also the longer you spend at school the more quicker holidays will come to relax. Many older school buildings do not have air conditioning, making a year-round schedule impractical. However, long school holidays may be detrimental for children from less privileged homes. March 27, 2017. 5 Things about Oxford that Have Stayed Constant Over the Centuries . As the saying goes, 'all work and no play make Jack a dull boy'. Some parents also complain that such schedules make it more difficult to plan family vacations or child care. With an extended break, students can have ample time to partake in the rituals and traditions of seasonal holidays. Exams could be shifted away from Easter so students can … Some advocates said it would help students retain knowledge. NEA.org, 2017. (My own idea). One of the benefits of school holidays is the time that families can spend together. This is because of the definition of "holiday". The arrival of long school holidays is also a good time for children to strengthen their family ties, since families need to spend time together in order to bond. I have my own reasons for thinking so. Bernard Shaw. With many family outings and vacations during the holiday time, they will have less time to complete homework. A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell. Some of the most common reasons in favor of year-round schooling are as follows: Opponents say year-round schooling hasn't proven to be as effective as its advocates claim. Educators began experimenting with a more balanced school calendar in the early 1900s, but the idea of a year-round model didn't really catch on until the 1970s. If students, teachers, and parents don't support a new schedule, a transition could be difficult. They also show that middle-class children actually benefit academically from longer holidays; they read more, go to the library, go on enriching trips and come back better able to learn than before. First of all, to understand why we people shouldn't have long holidays is that we must know, that the human brain is like a knife, it's important to sharpen them regularly, just how we learn in school almost every day, so that the knife will always be sharp. From my point of view, school children should be given long holidays. During school holidays, more freedom is usually given and children are able to spend their time on activities that they are fond of. Other countries around the world use this system. ", ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Melissa Kelly, M.Ed., is a secondary school teacher, instructional designer, and the author of "The Everything New Teacher Book: A Survival Guide for the First Year and Beyond. Having torn away from the workplace, the mind finds rest in pleasant and congenial surroundings. Possible economic reasons. There are several reasons why school children should not have long holidays. Weller, Chris. "A long summer holiday can be an impediment to children's learning, again particularly for children from lower socio-economic backgrounds. I prefer long vacation but additional term. School buildings unused in the summer are wasted resources. Zubrzycki, Jacklyn. 2ND – Say which one is better for learning. Traditional school calendars and year-round schedules both provide students with about 180 days in the classroom. As of 2017, nearly 4,000 public schools in the U.S. follow a year-round schedule—around 10 percent of the nation's students. Other ways to organize the calendar include the 60-20 and 90-30 plans. As a result, they hardly have any time left for leisure pursuits. "Year-Round Schooling Explained." What are the Pros and Cons of Charter Schools? This will be a waste of time, money and energy. When asked if school children should have long holidays, the answers of different individuals will certainly differ. Most public schools in America operate on the 10-month system, which gives students 180 days in the classroom. Adding homework to that list might help them to keep their complaining to themselves. 4TH – Talk about the importance of relaxing and disconnecting. Besides, they learn to be more independent and responsible when they do household chores such as washing the clothes and dishes, sweeping the floor, laying the table before a meal, making their own beds, and so forth.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'english312_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',146,'0','0'])); Another reason why long holidays are necessary is that children need to meet other relatives and to socialise with friends in the community so as to improve their interpersonal skills, since 'no man is an island'. Students get bored during the long break of summer. They can also spend more time on their favourite sports in order to keep fit both physically and mentally. The Daily Telegraph thinks holidays should be capped at four weeks. The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends. This school schedule has been the default since the earliest days of the nation when the U.S. was still an agrarian society, and children were needed to work in the fields during the summer. Some people have the opinion that school children should be entitled to long holidays while the others disagree. It gives families more options for scheduling vacations, rather than restricting travel to summertime. When asked if school children should have long holidays, the answers of different individuals will certainly differ. “Happy Holidays” is something you hear often this time of year. The school year typically begins a few weeks before or after Labor Day and concludes around Memorial Day, with time off during Christmas and New Year's and again around Easter. Take out a sheet of paper and answer these three questions: What … By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Summer Vacation's Negative Impact on Learning, The Pros and Cons of a Four-Day School Week, 10 Pros and Cons of Being a School Principal, Examining the Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing, Pros and Cons of Earning Your High School Diploma Online, What Is Transnationalism? However, I believe that such problems can be solved through proper planning, guidance and time management. "Year-Round School is Booming but Its Benefits Are Overhyped." Furthermore, it also gives them time to … Examples of activities that assist to develop close family ties are having a picnic at the seaside and playing sports and games. These holidays lasts for around a month periods time and the students go on vacationing with their families and friends. But instead of taking off much of the summertime, year-round school programs take a series of shorter breaks throughout the year. Non-monetary benefit for teachers. This is known as Summer Vacation. Definition, Pros, and Cons, Parents Guide to the Pros and Cons of Homeschooling. Though school children DO enjoy a lot of holidays, I personally feel that they should have more. Many parents and students dislike holiday homework. Research Spotlight on Year-Round Education, Schools Without Summer Break: An In-Depth Look at Year-Round Schooling, Year-Round School is Booming but Its Benefits Are Overhyped, M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, University of Florida. Plus you need to go to school/ work other wise you won't get paid/ educated. More holiday earlier would be preferable but the summer holiday should still be about 4 weeks long. WRITING PART 1 – ESSAY – Should students have a long summer holiday or should terms be longer? Some of the most common arguments against year-round schools include: School administrators considering year-round education should identify their goals and investigate whether a new calendar can help achieve them. Holidays give families an opportunity to spend time together and celebrate. 13 Aug 11. Though there are disadvantages for school children to have long school holidays, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Edweek.org, 18 December 2015. or: Why we have summer/winter vacations in school. However, some *people think that a long summer holiday has a *negative impact on their educations. Some researchers have argued that children from low-income families suffer a dip in academic attainment as a result of the long holiday which leads to a widening of the attainment gap. Some might enter a summer class like dancing, cooking, singing, playing instrumental or looking for a summer job. 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