Why do we have a long summer holiday?
At some time around the end of July the retail world goes crazy by publicising all of their “back to school offer” even though the schools are still very much working as normal. They’re obviously getting ready for the rush as all the schools shut down (some teachers are currently laughing at this) and the kids get to spend a full six weeks not thinking about maths, English or geography.
But why so? Why do we have this six weeks when holidays are more expensive, the beaches are full and ice cream vans appear at the most inconvenient of times when you’re just sitting down for dinner? Surely it’s not just so we can get more supplies of pens cheaper than the rest of the year or replenish the school uniform at knock-down prices?
Well no, it in fact has a lot to do with the Victorians who not only wanted to educate their children but also needed them to help out on the homestead. It’s a scene completely removed from today’s world where we get our chickens from Sainsbury’s and shove all our clothes in the washing machine.
In times gone by the school day ended at 3.30 so kids could get home and catch a chicken for dinner, scrub clothes clean and maybe pick some vegetables. These days children will get home and watch TV or play Mario Kart on the WiiU.
And the six week holiday? Well this was prime time to be spent out on the fields helping to tend the crops or moving the cattle around. Obviously there was also the Victorian ideals of going on the train to Skegness and dipping a toe in the water, but children had a tough time of it and families had to pull together to make ends meet. School was important, but not at the cost of keeping the family fed.
So why do we still have it?
Britain has a problem with breaking traditions. Kids look forward to the long summer break and if the weather is good, it’s great to get some time off and head to the beach without having to worry about school. Also teachers unions have been resisting the change, they think it works well, too.
However parents can find it difficult. We now live in an age where both parents tend to work full time so children have to be minded during the holidays. Those of us with available grandparents may be OK if we’re on good terms with them, but others have to rely on friends or child minders.
Together with the cost of holidays often doubling during the summer, it becomes a very expensive time for families.
There’s also the problem that children tend to forget what they’re taught from one term to the next and this is the argument put forward by many. They would like to have a school year that is more spread out with regular but shorter holidays which would make it easier for parents to budget and maybe make holidays a little less expensive.
One thing’s for sure, it’s not going to happen soon so for now, we’ll just have to live with adverts for bulk packets of pens and paper and knock down prices on school blazers!
This article originally appeared in:
http://www.theofficesuppliessupermarket.com/articles/why-do-we-have-a-long-summer-holiday
