Why so many breaks???!!!

Um, I love my dear daughter very dearly but her school has so many breaks! I work from home and school is my day care now (she is a kindergartener). She is pretty low maintenance as children go, but you have to pay some attention or well, someone will eventually call CPS. If I took off work every time there was a No School Day, I would burn through it by March.

They got 3 weeks off for Christmas (just went back 1/7) and she has another 4 day weekend coming up for MLK day and a "Teacher's Professional Day." Every month they get at least 2 days off. March is another 2 weeks for Spring Break I know it's been, well "awhile" since I was in school but for god's sake--is this common?

Re: Why so many breaks???!!!

Budget cut Fridays? We've got a bunch of them too. I think they are out of school more than in during November.

Re: Why so many breaks???!!!

We have loads as well. 3 full weeks for Christmas, 1.5 weeks for spring break, a 3 day weekend, followed by a 4 day weekend in Oct., a 3 day weekend followed by a 5 day weekend in Feburary ... and somehow no days off at all in April :huh: . I often find myself wondering if we really meet the school requirements for # of days / year. I don't know how employed parents manage it all.

We had a snow day today for ... 2 inches?? I did hear that it was slippery, and this city isn't equipt for major salting. But if I were employed, I'd have to call off.

Re: Why so many breaks???!!!

It also depends on where you are. When I taught in L.A. I got 3 weeks off for Christmas, in Chicago it was two and here in Maryland only 1 week! Most districts nowadays love do teacher development days. I think they want to make sure all their teachers are up to date in all the different requirements, testing goals yadayada... I would've rather not have had them either! They have to make sure that there are a minimum number of days... if you look there may be more days off for the school year but summer breaks have gotten way shorter. I remember have three months off when I was a kid.

Re: Why so many breaks???!!!

Yeah - we still get the mega summer break too (farming country, you know). They're out mid-May, and go back mid-August. When I was a kid we got out at the end of the 1st week of June, and always went back the last week in August.

[DCJenn]

Re: Why so many breaks???!!!

In Maryland we got out the 3rd week of June and went back after Labor Day. We lost out on the beach jobs at the beginning of the summer but could always find them after all of the first hires quit or got fired.

Jenn

Re: Why so many breaks???!!!

and school is my day care now (she is a kindergartener).

But school is not day care and teachers are not babysitters. On the days school is out, maybe you could find back-up childcare. The YMCA after-school program at my children's former school offered child care in the school on days when school was out, including snow days. Maybe you could find a similar program where you are?