Kids are finally back in school..
As a parent, I'd like to ban summer vacation - three months of idle kids.. I know, teachers need the time off (although I'd be unhappy to not get paid 3 months of the year) and I know kids need unstructured time to develop their creativity and obviously there are summer camps (being paid 3 months of summer, I should be able to afford that)..
but sometimes I wonder.. I remember summers filled with cousins, playing with stones or marbles... school for that matter was not very taxing.. spent a good part dreaming. So, what is the matter with summer here?
Have kids inherently changed so much that they are somehow different now? I doubt it..
Has society changed that it is more an indoorsy life for kids..? yah.. partly true, but not quite..
Working parents..? my parents worked too..
Displaed kids not finding enough company at home..? not quite true..
Worrying parents? or rather worrying parent..? there is some truth to that I suspect. I don't seem to like children wasting time-so to speak. They should either be productivly (sp?) involved in either studying, making friends, playing sports etc.. to the point where unstructured play has a certain value in its quality..
hmm.. not sure I've pinned it down yet.
The kids are alright.. repeat, The kids are alright!!
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6 comments:
3 months is quite a long time! Here we get 2 months, max... But I always thought schools closed during summer coz it gets too hot to study!
Traditionally the summer closures came from the agricultural families where kids had to help on the farm, so probably a combination of the heat and having work to do.
As for kids not playing - it sounds like most don't even know how to free play - check out this article where schools are now outsourcing recess to companies to teach kids how to free play. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/16/AR2008091603150.html
My first reaction is that it is Unbelievable that they pay someone to teach kids to play free-play, but after thinking about this for a day, I can appreciate the effort.
The group dynamics during recess has always been pretty complex. Some kids are able to lead (dominiate), while some follow. The in-between group gets left behind. Plus the sport-challenged kids end up hating recess since no one wants them as part of their team. Tough for boys. I'm told girls face clique-type problems.
I guess having a more structured recess may be level the field.
Paddu,
It gets hot here too.. I'm told that teachers need a break from the kids ;)
Plus that would be a "vacation with your family" time in the US.. Growing up, we never took full advantage of LTC my parents got, one from TN state, and one from Central Governmnet..
We visited grandparents and cousins and vice versa -mostly local.. played dayakattai or cards, whiled away our time with no thoughts of our future. Somehow when dayakattai or cards are replaced with computer and video games I seem to have a problem.. esp since it is such an individual thing.
I guess the part that I feel kids miss out on by not having free play are life skills such as negotiation, compromising and leadership. It almost seems that the kids are being trained to be followers.
Sujatha,
re: "kids are being trained to be followers", you wouldn't accuse my older on of gasp following, mine or any one's wishes. No negotiation or compromise either.. I've called it various names including attitude, being a teen and other names unfit of a mother's tongue.
trying times, some days..
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