should school children be given more school holidays?

Question

points of why school children should be given more school holidays

Answer 1

If there was year round school then yes. A few weeks on and a week off, or how ever that would work out to the same amount of school days there are currently in a school year.

Answer 2

Although my kids are not in school yet, I babysit for a neighbor girl who is in kindergarten. Even at that age (5 and 6 years old) the kids are sent home with homework! I think that it's kinda ridiculous. I help out with a youth group for kids aged 7th through 12th grade (12 to 18 years old), and they say that they have at least two hours of homework a day. I think that it's ridiculous. Unfortunately, as parents, we have to keep after our kids to do their homework, becuase if it doesn't get done, then they receive a failing grade for that assignment. It's not fair to the kids. They spend 8 hours at school already... they don't need 2 to 4 additional hours of homework in the evenings, especially when they're trying to balance it out with school sports and the like. It's ridiculous. Half the time they're just confused about the homework assignments anyways. I know that when I graduated from high school (which was only 6 years ago), when it was Christmas break (our only vacation during the school year, the teachers just piled on the work for that week - reports, essays, projects, you name it. It's ridiculous! Kids need a break!

Answer 3

They don't need more holidays, however the rearrangimg of the current tradiitional American "September-June" school year might keep students' brains well and working all year. When students return to school in September, they usually need a full month of review just to remember the stuff the learned the previous year. It's a waste of time that could be spent learning new things.

Answer 4

No, actually they need less school holidays. Every year kids are learning less and less. It's scary that you want your future to be run by a bunch of uneducated children.

Answer 5

Currently (2006), school children enjoy 7 days in March, 45 days in May-June, 8 days in September, and 50 days in December; with an addition of 4 school holidays and 11 public holidays. Thus, they go to school for 240 days in a 365-day year. That is equivalent to approximately 65.75% [Source: Ministry of Education, Singapore.]

Though school children DO enjoy a lot of holidays, I personally feel that they should have more.

This is because of the definition of "holiday". According to dictionary.com, the search "holiday" churns out "A day free from work that one may spend at leisure, especially a day on which custom or the law dictates a halting of general business activity to commemorate or celebrate a particular event." and also "a day on which work is suspended by law or custom"

If we base "holiday" on these findings, then there is no "true" holiday for school children.

The so-called "school holidays", which are intended for children to take a break from schoolwork, are filled with other enriching activities so as their time is spent fruitfully. While some children enjoy doing activities like swimming, reading, etc., other children have to attend classes--tuition classes their parents have booked from them.

Furthermore, there is "holiday homework", which ensures that no "complete" break from school can be taken.

Many children also have other commitments, like sports. Thus, they have to go back to school during the "holidays" and train for upcoming competitions. Such competitions are usually for them to represent the class, school or maybe even country. An almost negligible amount does it for himself/herself.

Thus, there can be no "true" "holiday".

Now, I feel that the holidays are a wonderful opportunity for school children to enrich their lives.

One good activity would be to pursue a hobby. These hobbies might just turn out to be indicative of a latent potential; for example chess. And if the student is not good in studies, the discovery of a talent would, if there were an available Co-Curricular Activity available in his/her school, allow the student to have more interest in going to school and not dread that act. This might indirectly lead to an improvement in studies as the child becomes more open.

Another good activity would be to do Community Service. This, I feel, should not be "forced" upon the students; rather, they should take up the activity themselves. This means that the student, if he/she does not like the activity he/she has chosen, he/she has only him/herself to blame. Also, having chosen the activity him/herself, they would be more open and "friendly" to the idea.

Commnunity Service would improve the student's overall personality. For it is not the brain but the heart that matters the most. Also, it could open his/her mind to the suffering of other people, and again improve his/her overall personality. It could also improve his relations with other people as he/she would be more grateful for his/her friends and family.

These two groups of activities to do during the "school holidays" would serve as a true break from school, and enhance other aspects of their person.

While I am not saying that education is unimportant--it is--but I feel that a well-spent "holiday" would be very beneficial to the student.

Furthermore, in this age of worldwide communications, students--everyone, in fact--are finding less and less reasons to be at a venue in person. Already, virtual lessons, seeing the teacher through video conferencing and homework on soft copy with submittions through the Internet are available. While, this is still not able to replace a true day at school, the technology is developing fast. Who knows?

Thus, I feel that school children should be given more "school holidays". Not because they should slack off from school, for it is already a major part of their lives, but for the development of their body and soul.

Answer 6

sure...let them have more time off...our children are so brilliant already right? Half dont even know how to add or mulitpy..the other half drop out..SURE GIVE THEM MORE HOLIDAYS

Answer 7

they shouldn't, they seem to spend more time at home than they do at school and they wonder why kids today don't know anything

Answer 8

more holidays for mind-relaxations and home practices

Answer 9

the question should be . do teachers need more time off to pursue their own interests .

Answer 10

compared to other countries, our kids have it too easy...many of them graduate high school and still can't SPELL