Frank Hovis Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 My wife's a teacher (boooo!, I pretty much end every conversation she tries to have about work with 'that's exactly why I ******ing hate teachers') so I am an expert on package holiday prices. The price of the same family holiday increases by about 30% in a week. Interestingly if you fly from Glasgow you can get holidays cheaper as their kids break up a week later. They do bang on and on about it. We all work but don't then give a blow-by-blow account of the whole day to anybody not sharp enough to hide as a teacher approaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justthisbloke Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 They do bang on and on about it. We all work but don't then give a blow-by-blow account of the whole day to anybody not sharp enough to hide as a teacher approaches. It may be a female thing (from my inexpert observations 99.99% of state school teachers are female). Men have a sh!t day at work and come home to do something more interesting. IME, women come home to retell and relive the entire day. And then analyse it in detail. And it doesn't matter whether it was a good day, a bad day or, more commonly, a really boring day. I have mastered the art of being able to mentally zone out for an hour two - often I have absolutely no clue about what's been said but my autonomic responses of nod, pat on shoulder, commiserate mean I always come out of it with all the appearance of the ideal husband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 It may be a female thing (from my inexpert observations 99.99% of state school teachers are female). Men have a sh!t day at work and come home to do something more interesting. IME, women come home to retell and relive the entire day. And then analyse it in detail. And it doesn't matter whether it was a good day, a bad day or, more commonly, a really boring day. I have mastered the art of being able to mentally zone out for an hour two - often I have absolutely no clue about what's been said but my autonomic responses of nod, pat on shoulder, commiserate mean I always come out of it with all the appearance of the ideal husband. Maybe, I was close to a barrister before she drove me away by repeatedly mistaking giving me a detailed run through of her recent "interesting" (family law - very dull) cases for conversation. I will relate anecdotes from work, funny incidents, talk about characters. But have sufficient self-awareness to know that nobody is interested in the mechanics of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkins Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 school holidays are far too long Yes it's important that children aren't given too much opportunity to experience time when they aren't being bossed around by an authority figure, they might decide they like it and may even start down the path of wondering why they can't have more of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy666 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 It may be a female thing (from my inexpert observations 99.99% of state school teachers are female). Men have a sh!t day at work and come home to do something more interesting. IME, women come home to retell and relive the entire day. And then analyse it in detail. And it doesn't matter whether it was a good day, a bad day or, more commonly, a really boring day. I have mastered the art of being able to mentally zone out for an hour two - often I have absolutely no clue about what's been said but my autonomic responses of nod, pat on shoulder, commiserate mean I always come out of it with all the appearance of the ideal husband. Indeed... I 'play a role' at work because basically, that's what I'm paid for. I have a responsibility to get things done, get along with co workers, listen to *ahem* excited customers, provide a sanitized account of events to managers, etc.. and then go home and be myself. Whereas my OH seems to agonize endlessly about work despite having a theoretically less responsible job.. Work is not a social club. If you go around treating it as a social activity then there will be conflicts. Even if I ran my own business I'd consider it important to keep some form of separation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Yes it's important that children aren't given too much opportunity to experience time when they aren't being bossed around by an authority figure, they might decide they like it and may even start down the path of wondering why they can't have more of it. Bossing has nothing to do with learning......then you wonder why things are such a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Yes it's important that children aren't given too much opportunity to experience time when they aren't being bossed around by an authority figure, they might decide they like it and may even start down the path of wondering why they can't have more of it. And not want to work. I would go so far as to say that 90% of my school time served no purpose other than to accustom me to getting up in the morning, dressing smartly, and sitting quietly so preparing me for work. I was taught some useful things at school but they were swamped by the other useless stuff. I enjoyed it at the time (bit of a swot, sorry) but I fail to see the usefulness of (for example) spending four hours a week for a year learning about mid-Victorian politics and the repeal of the Corn Laws, I don't see how missing some or indeed all of that would have had a negative impact upon me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errol Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 They need to ensure that all the children are at school so that they can indoctrinate/propagandise them as much as possible. Everyone needs to be part of the system. The system will be enforced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Yes it's important that children aren't given too much opportunity to experience time when they aren't being bossed around by an authority figure, they might decide they like it and may even start down the path of wondering why they can't have more of it. But how will both parents be able to work full time if their children are not locked up in school so much of the time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I have a feeling you're right, but can you flesh some details out there ? Simple. Boomers were happy to enjoy this "privilege" when they had young kids (just from memory, two of my class went on seriously upmarket holidays in the early 80's, during term time) but now they hold the power they're again putting the boot into the generations below them. I suspect this is motivated partly by a desire to enjoy their multiple annual holidays a) more cheaply and without any kids around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Simple. Boomers were happy to enjoy this "privilege" when they had young kids (just from memory, two of my class went on seriously upmarket holidays in the early 80's, during term time) but now they hold the power they're again putting the boot into the generations below them. I suspect this is motivated partly by a desire to enjoy their multiple annual holidays a) more cheaply and without any kids around. Can't see that. Just more state control and kicking the middle classes; if you're on benefits then fines are an irrelevance; 50 years to pay and 10p a week if you can be bothered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Can't see that. Just more state control and kicking the middle classes; if you're on benefits then fines are an irrelevance; 50 years to pay and 10p a week if you can be bothered. Was it just a fine or was it also a criminal conviction? You're also risking social services involvement etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1929crash Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Simple. Boomers were happy to enjoy this "privilege" when they had young kids (just from memory, two of my class went on seriously upmarket holidays in the early 80's, during term time) but now they hold the power they're again putting the boot into the generations below them. I suspect this is motivated partly by a desire to enjoy their multiple annual holidays a) more cheaply and without any kids around. Perceptive post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Who owns your children if you are not wealthy enough to enjoy the freedom of other available choices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geezer466 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I'm not a expert on package holiday rates, but I understood they were generally pretty expensive across that period regardless of which six weeks you had. If there is significant price variance then your suggestion of staggering is probably a good one. In essence school holidays across the UK are already staggered. Scotland and NI for example tip out in the third or fourth week of June and are back by early/mid August. England and Wales have I think an 8 week window in which to fit the 6 in starting 3rd week in July. As has been mentioned private schools please themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 In essence school holidays across the UK are already staggered. Scotland and NI for example tip out in the third or fourth week of June and are back by early/mid August. England and Wales have I think an 8 week window in which to fit the 6 in starting 3rd week in July. As has been mentioned private schools please themselves. Staggering needs to be done locally, if two working people working locally are to get the same time off during school holidays. Edit to add:.....many working mums also book school holidays simply because they can't afford the extra expense of child care or know of carers who can help out during school holidays. Edit again: Not saying right or wrong, but there are good reasons why those who can afford it send their children to boarding schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Staggering needs to be done locally, if two working people working locally are to get the same time off during school holidays. Edit to add:.....many working mums also book school holidays simply because they can't afford the extra expense of child care or know of carers who can help out during school holidays. Edit again: Not saying right or wrong, but there are good reasons why those who can afford it send their children to boarding schools. How can you stagger local schools if you have different age kids in different local schools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 How can you stagger local schools if you have different age kids in different local schools? Valid point...but if the school breaks were not so lengthy there would be more room to accommodate a family holiday without getting a fine for breaking the law for trying to do the best you can with the resources available......fining people is not the answer, it only alienates people and puts their back up, not very helpful or empathetic, more like pathetic...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinAndPlatonic Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 There are plans to allow schools to decide their own term times... 2 July 2013 Plans were announced on Monday to allow all schools to vary term dates, a right already held by academies. But the National Union of Teachers says it will cause problems for families with children in different schools. Term times should be decided by heads and not councils, says the Department for Education. http://www.bbc.co.uk...cation-23145179 I doubt there would be much variation though.... "Most schools choose to follow the local authority calendar because they know that it's better for parents who have children in different schools and teachers who want their holidays to coincide with their children's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I doubt there would be much variation though.... "Most schools choose to follow the local authority calendar because they know that it's better for parents who have children in different schools and teachers who want their holidays to coincide with their children's. Suddenly it all becomes clear - this is motivated purely by teachers being peed off about not being able to take their holidays as and when and they want everybody else to suffer as a result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigantic Purple Slug Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Suddenly it all becomes clear - this is motivated purely by teachers being peed off about not being able to take their holidays as and when and they want everybody else to suffer as a result. I find it quite difficult to understand how you jump to that conclusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geezer466 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I find it quite difficult to understand how you jump to that conclusion. That's probably because you are a teacher or your partner is...... Compromise seems to work in other Countries but here it doesn't seem to have a chance!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_out Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Suddenly it all becomes clear - this is motivated purely by teachers being peed off about not being able to take their holidays as and when and they want everybody else to suffer as a result. I don't think so. People talk about long holidays being a benefit of being a teacher, but that's not actually the real benefit. As someone mentioned, the real value is in 12 weeks of paid holiday at exactly the same time your children are off school. It's a benefit that's not often considered, but financially and socially it's of much greater value than the length of the holiday per se. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gardener Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 How can you stagger local schools if you have different age kids in different local schools? Or when you have some children in Primary school in one County and others at Secondary in another County. I live close to the border of three Counties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Suddenly it all becomes clear - this is motivated purely by teachers being peed off about not being able to take their holidays as and when and they want everybody else to suffer as a result. So who are schools run to benefit? the teachers, the pupils or the majority wider working community? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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