Stuart Dickson Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 School kids get enough holidays in the year without taking extra time out so they can learn how big Mickey Mousse ears are in Florida. If you can’t afford the holiday book a holiday you can afford during the school break Like the work place school rules are there to be followed setting a standard and understanding for future years when children join the work place. What workplace do you know shuts down for 10 - 11 weeks a year? The schools should be open all year round, teachers should work all year round, and it should be the service users and funders who dictate the terms of when they want holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faraway saint Posted October 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 What workplace do you know shuts down for 10 - 11 weeks a year? The schools should be open all year round, teachers should work all year round, and it should be the service users and funders who dictate the terms of when they want holidays. You forgot Mickey Mousse ears....................very important. Too many holidays out of term for someone methinx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaksoft Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 (edited) Why not? We went in October for three weeks. My son missed the week before the October holiday - that's the week when teachers put on DVD's and let the kids do f**k all - the week of the October holiday, and the week after when the kids did the same past papers in preparation for their SAT's and pre-lims that my son was doing on the flights to and from Orlando. At Epcot my son was able to design his own car learning in a fair bit of detail about the various different types of engine, fuel, aerodynamics, and the effect different sizes of wheels and tyres can have on the performance of the car. He was then able to test his car on a Test Track - like every other kids that visits. From there he visited Space, learning what the gravitational forces feel like on your body during the launching of a rocket. On the next "ride" he got a basic lesson in energy covering everything from fossil fuels to those silly wind turbines you get a stiffy over. Then he learned about the scientific advances in food production that amongst a huge amount of other things, see's tomato plants being grown without the need for soil and genetically modified 9lb Lemons growing in trees onsite. He also learned about TV and Film production, toured the world speaking to people from many different cultures whilst sampling their produce, learned about Mantees, sharks and dolphins and learned about the history of communication and how important it has been for the development in civilisation. He learned about cuts of beef from one of the top celebrity American chefs, and was then given a demonstration on how to cook it - as we all were - by another top American chef - before rounding the day off by watching either Sugar Ray or the Pointer Sisters in concert and that was just one of the 8 major theme parks all of which are done to deliver education in a far more interesting manner than teachers in school deliver their lessons. Even at night at our hotel we could learn. One of the Cast Members taught my son how to speak a few sentences in Xhosa as he learned about life as a Zulu. Even better - because it was October the parks were fairly quiet so we were able to spend more time on the rides learning more and more about the topics covered with each visit. I don't need to justify the trip - the value of trips to Hawaii, Florida and to San Francisco has shown in both my sons exam results over the years. It's enthused and inspired both of them in choosing their career paths and the trips were better placed to give them a desire to pass their exams and do well at a time much more relevant to them than July or August when the exams are a distant distraction. However we shouldn't even be talking about a "term time". Education is a public service paid for by taxpayers. A more relevant question would be to ask if the public service is serving the needs of their consumers and when you put it in that context it's hard to claim that it is. Schools should remain open throughout the year. Teachers should work longer days and they shouldn't be having 10 - 11 weeks annual leave every year. And kids should be being better educated by teachers who are more capable of inspiring a group of kids to learn than the boring wage stealing drones our universities churn out. Jesus! See these pushy bastard parents who can't just let their kids enjoy their holidays by playing on their own without wanting to micromanage every second for them.......... No wonder our kids are growing up unable to read and write, because daddy took them all over the world during term time, and unable to know what to do with their time because mummy is no longer there to tell them what to do. Deary me. Let the kids be kids FFS and get them to school on the few weeks of the year where the schools are open. Edited October 31, 2013 by oaksoft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faraway saint Posted October 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Jesus! See these pushy bastard parents who can't just let their kids enjoy their holidays by playing on their own without wanting to micromanage every second for them.......... No wonder our kids are growing up unable to read and write, because daddy took them all over the world during term time, and unable to know what to do with their time because mummy is no longer there to tell them what to do. Deary me. Let the kids be kids FFS and get them to school on the few weeks of the year where the schools are open. I would guess the kids who are unable to read or write have never been further than the end of the street. Also more than likely will have plenty of days off to help parents with such exciting days out as shoplifting or robbing peoples houses. Just my opinion, you understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaksoft Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I would guess the kids who are unable to read or write have never been further than the end of the street. Also more than likely will have plenty of days off to help parents with such exciting days out as shoplifting or robbing peoples houses. Just my opinion, you understand. Well as long as you're not stereotyping then that's OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faraway saint Posted October 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Well as long as you're not stereotyping then that's OK Shut it, or you'll end up in that bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Dickson Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Jesus! See these pushy bastard parents who can't just let their kids enjoy their holidays by playing on their own without wanting to micromanage every second for them.......... No wonder our kids are growing up unable to read and write, because daddy took them all over the world during term time, and unable to know what to do with their time because mummy is no longer there to tell them what to do. Deary me. Let the kids be kids FFS and get them to school on the few weeks of the year where the schools are open. Let the kids be kids - yet you won't takes yours to Orlando where every kid wants to go. Imagine you letting a school dictate to you when you can take your family on holiday. Who'd have thought you'd be willing to be so subservient to a university drop out who's favorite trick was to make you smell his hand.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickMcD Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 What workplace do you know shuts down for 10 - 11 weeks a year? The schools should be open all year round, teachers should work all year round, and it should be the service users and funders who dictate the terms of when they want holidays. I do have a lot of sympathy with your question. I'm vice chair of a school and over the years I have had many an argument with our teachers about holidays. One or two do admit they're lucky but most get defensive and argue that it is well earned. I was at a seminar a few years back and there was an interesting debate about the length of school terms in the UK and it seems that research carried out in some of what are regarded as the more enlightened European countries has shown that terms of two months or more are not conducive to good education. There is even a strong body of opinion that thinks most terms should be typically four or six weeks maximum. The result would be more holiday periods but obviously of shorter duration. How would tour companies react to that? No need contemplating it for long because teachers in the UK will never wear it, even if it was proved conclusively that children would benefit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorizaar Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Hard to believe this is even up for debate. If the school is open, the kids should be there unless they are ill or there are exceptional circumstances. Holidays are not a reason to miss school. Writing off 2 weeks per year as nothing is incredible too. That's about 5% of the school year and amounts to a solid 6 months over a school career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insaintee Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 School teachers kids get enough holidays in the year without taking extra time out throwing sickies so they can learn how big Mickey Mousse ears are in Florida catch up on marking and lesson plans cope with the demands of the job put their feet up . If you can’t afford the holiday book a holiday you can afford during the school break Like the work place school rules are there to be followed setting a standard and understanding for future years when children join the work place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faraway saint Posted October 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Hard to believe this is even up for debate. If the school is open, the kids should be there unless they are ill or there are exceptional circumstances. Holidays are not a reason to miss school. Writing off 2 weeks per year as nothing is incredible too. That's about 5% of the school year and amounts to a solid 6 months over a school career. 5%? Well if you feel losing that amount is of any significance to a child I think that child is going to struggle throughout his/her life. Such an insignificant amount can easily be made up especialy as a more significant percentage is "wasted" with useless subjects. I'll keep you updated on my granddaughters progress, if she fails in any subject I'll never forgive myself, although she's only missing a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Saint Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I feel the Holiday Companies are ripping the arse out of it. Not many companies charge more when demand is higher. Greggs was stowed at lunchtime today, supplies were running low but prices remained the same. Our Taxi fares dinnae rise on a Saturday night when demand far exceeds supply. did you get me that Steak slice though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Saint Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Why not? We went in October for three weeks. My son missed the week before the October holiday - that's the week when teachers put on DVD's and let the kids do f**k all - the week of the October holiday, and the week after when the kids did the same past papers in preparation for their SAT's and pre-lims that my son was doing on the flights to and from Orlando. At Epcot my son was able to design his own car learning in a fair bit of detail about the various different types of engine, fuel, aerodynamics, and the effect different sizes of wheels and tyres can have on the performance of the car. He was then able to test his car on a Test Track - like every other kids that visits. From there he visited Space, learning what the gravitational forces feel like on your body during the launching of a rocket. On the next "ride" he got a basic lesson in energy covering everything from fossil fuels to those silly wind turbines you get a stiffy over. Then he learned about the scientific advances in food production that amongst a huge amount of other things, see's tomato plants being grown without the need for soil and genetically modified 9lb Lemons growing in trees onsite. He also learned about TV and Film production, toured the world speaking to people from many different cultures whilst sampling their produce, learned about Mantees, sharks and dolphins and learned about the history of communication and how important it has been for the development in civilisation. He learned about cuts of beef from one of the top celebrity American chefs, and was then given a demonstration on how to cook it - as we all were - by another top American chef - before rounding the day off by watching either Sugar Ray or the Pointer Sisters in concert and that was just one of the 8 major theme parks all of which are done to deliver education in a far more interesting manner than teachers in school deliver their lessons. Even at night at our hotel we could learn. One of the Cast Members taught my son how to speak a few sentences in Xhosa as he learned about life as a Zulu. Even better - because it was October the parks were fairly quiet so we were able to spend more time on the rides learning more and more about the topics covered with each visit. I don't need to justify the trip - the value of trips to Hawaii, Florida and to San Francisco has shown in both my sons exam results over the years. It's enthused and inspired both of them in choosing their career paths and the trips were better placed to give them a desire to pass their exams and do well at a time much more relevant to them than July or August when the exams are a distant distraction. However we shouldn't even be talking about a "term time". Education is a public service paid for by taxpayers. A more relevant question would be to ask if the public service is serving the needs of their consumers and when you put it in that context it's hard to claim that it is. Schools should remain open throughout the year. Teachers should work longer days and they shouldn't be having 10 - 11 weeks annual leave every year. And kids should be being better educated by teachers who are more capable of inspiring a group of kids to learn than the boring wage stealing drones our universities churn out. Can you give me plenty of notice the next time you're coming over here. I know it's a big place but...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TPAFKATS Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I can understand the schools needing to have some kind of procedure regarding missing term time - however it also needs to be consistent within each school never mind the local authority. I assume the fine mentioned earlier was down south as I never heard of this in Scotland, so far? We have attended family weddings abroad during term time and I really dont see the issue as long as there arent exams involved. For what its worth my kid has had extra playtimes twice in the past week and is off to the pictures next week (I understand there are different ways to learn) and from previous experience after the easter break (or whatever its called these days) there isnt a whole lot of learning undertaken- in primary school anyway. Is October still hurricane season in Florida? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Dickson Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 Hard to believe this is even up for debate. If the school is open, the kids should be there unless they are ill or there are exceptional circumstances. Holidays are not a reason to miss school. Writing off 2 weeks per year as nothing is incredible too. That's about 5% of the school year and amounts to a solid 6 months over a school career. But a school is a service paid for by the taxpayer. Surely the school should be operating in a manner that serves the community best. Instead of having a go at parents for taking their kids out of school - when their working life perhaps doesn't afford them holidays within the school holiday period - we should be having a go at the school and the teachers for only opening 190 days out of 365 and for trying to condense all the teaching time into what is essentially a five and a half hour day. Are we really saying that schools have to close for maintenance work to be done for almost half the year? Are we really saying that teachers work so hard that they need half the year off? The malaise IMO comes from the attitude that is prevalent in the UK where people think because it's state run it's free. The fact is that we do not have free education and free healthcare in the UK - it is paid for by the taxpayer, and it is extremely expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Dickson Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 I do have a lot of sympathy with your question. I'm vice chair of a school and over the years I have had many an argument with our teachers about holidays. One or two do admit they're lucky but most get defensive and argue that it is well earned. I was at a seminar a few years back and there was an interesting debate about the length of school terms in the UK and it seems that research carried out in some of what are regarded as the more enlightened European countries has shown that terms of two months or more are not conducive to good education. There is even a strong body of opinion that thinks most terms should be typically four or six weeks maximum. The result would be more holiday periods but obviously of shorter duration. How would tour companies react to that? No need contemplating it for long because teachers in the UK will never wear it, even if it was proved conclusively that children would benefit On what grounds do they think they've earned it though Rick? That's what I don't get. I fully appreciate they think that they work hard and that they put in extra hours when they are out of school but their working day is typically from 9am - 3.30pm ish with two breaks and a lunch break. As for your last sentence I agree with you that the teachers and the teaching unions wouldn't wear it but that's just one of the reasons why I'd love to see a really radical shake up of our education system. Change the philosophy completely. Give parents the opportunity to "purchase" the education they want for their child. Make schools put on the services that are needed to attract custom. If the school succeeds and brings in lots of "money" then the head teacher will be able to use those funds to pay their staff more, or to invest in offering more services, and if the school fails shut it down and put all of the teachers from that school onto the dole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaksoft Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 But a school is a service paid for by the taxpayer. Surely the school should be operating in a manner that serves the community best. No of course not FFS. It should be run in a manner which best serves the KIDS not the parents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaksoft Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 On what grounds do they think they've earned it though Rick? That's what I don't get. I fully appreciate they think that they work hard and that they put in extra hours when they are out of school but their working day is typically from 9am - 3.30pm ish with two breaks and a lunch break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaksoft Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 As for your last sentence I agree with you that the teachers and the teaching unions wouldn't wear it but that's just one of the reasons why I'd love to see a really radical shake up of our education system. Change the philosophy completely. Give parents the opportunity to "purchase" the education they want for their child. Make schools put on the services that are needed to attract custom. If the school succeeds and brings in lots of "money" then the head teacher will be able to use those funds to pay their staff more, or to invest in offering more services, and if the school fails shut it down and put all of the teachers from that school onto the dole. I'll tell you what the problem with this is. It's all about YOU. YOU want to be able to control everyone and everything they do because you have no respect for anyone. You think virtually everyone is shite at their jobs except you. Only you. Is the word I'm looking for narcissistic? It's all about YOU. School is for kids. Quite why you care is beyond me. Instead of taking them on 4 expensive holidays a year why not use the money to send them to a private school and give us all peace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faraway saint Posted November 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 I'll tell you what the problem with this is. It's all about YOU. YOU want to be able to control everyone and everything they do because you have no respect for anyone. You think virtually everyone is shite at their jobs except you. Only you. Is the word I'm looking for narcissistic? It's all about YOU. School is for kids. Quite why you care is beyond me. Instead of taking them on 4 expensive holidays a year why not use the money to send them to a private school and give us all peace? Just in case I've not picked you up correctly, school is for what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 Looks like someone needs to adjust their lyrics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 .....or even..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTZq2tbqxZw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zurich_allan Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 Teachers and Lecturers get way too much time off anyway. I notice that you've lumped lecturers in here - as a matter of interest, how many holidays do you think lecturers get? And are you referring to college lecturers? University lecturers? Or both? Just interested to see how much perception matches with reality here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faraway saint Posted November 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 I notice that you've lumped lecturers in here - as a matter of interest, how many holidays do you think lecturers get? And are you referring to college lecturers? University lecturers? Or both? Just interested to see how much perception matches with reality here. I'm a lecturer Al, does that give you an idea why the resident loony threw that in? Just my opinion you understand. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zurich_allan Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 It's just interesting, because it tends to be those that don't have a clue how universities work or what lecturers jobs actually are that lump them in with teachers. Two utterly different, incomparable professions with completely different holiday arrangements. It always astounds me when I say I'm a lecturer and people say 'oh, those great long summer holidays you get!', and surprises them when I say 'no, I get 35 days holiday a year, and most years (5 out of the last 6 years) I don't manage to find the time to actually take them all'. 35 days is still darn good compared to many many other places of work, but it's not the extravagant amount that many think, especially if you only actually manage to take 25 days of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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