Why Are Our Children So Unhappy?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3202931/Pupils-England-world-s-unhappy-Worries-body-image-bullying-mean-country-nations-including-Ethiopia-Nepal.html

[anotheoldgit]

We were mostly very happy, we didn't moan about the long walk to school, we didn't moan about the long walk to the parks, for a swing or for our game of football or cricket.

And during those long summer holidays, we rode our trolleys that we had made with a set of pram wheels, some scraps of wood and a soap box, sailed our 'own made' yachts, fenced with our 'own made' swords, targeted tin cans with our 'own made' catapults and flew our 'own made' kites.

[New Judge]

Yes quite agree, AOG.

The schools around here are thinking likewise with their "inset days" and next year may well add an extra week to the children's hols. Of course, in their stupidity and short sightedness this will not allow parents to take cheaper holidays (well it might for a year or two, but not in the long term). Amazingly enough holiday companies employ people who can read newspapers. They will soon get to grips with the new arrangements and adjust their tariffs accordingly.

Quite why teachers cannot do their "insetting" (whatever that might mean) during the fourteen weeks holiday they get is anybody's guess. I don't know of any other job where employees get at least twice the usual amount of holidays but still has to close for business for training purposes half a dozen days a year. There were certainly no inset days when I was at school.

[sherrardk]

Teachers don't get 14 weeks holidays - they used to but five days were taken off them for training days. Anyone jealous of their holidays should have followed a career in the education sector.

[New Judge]

Around here they get six weeks (plus a day or two) in the summer, three at Christmas, two at Easter, and three half terms of a week each. I make that fourteen although I accept that some of these include Bank Holidays.

The Education Act 1996 prescribes That a school year must be a minimum of 190 days (38 weeks). I make that 14 weeks short of a year. Of course it's always said that teachers spend much of the holidays in preparation (though I've yet to find one that does among my teaching acquaintances). That being the case they could have their "inset days" during the holidays.

We could argue over the odd few days either way but in general teachers get around twice the usual amount of time away from their workplace than just about anybody else.

[sherrardk]

Effectively they do five training days in their holidays as they work 195 days a year. Anyone else wishing to have 13 weeks a year annual leave should get a job in education.

[-Talbot-]

'Pupils in England are among the most unhappy in the world'



Claptrap!

[New Judge]

And I forgot to add that it is not a question of jealousy. The issue of school holidays was raised (by me in connection with AOG's question). I just failt to understand why an organisation which closes its doors for a quarter of every year (+/- a bit) has to then further close for staff training.

[anotheoldgit]

sherrardk

/// Teachers don't get 14 weeks holidays - they used to but five days were taken off them for training days. Anyone jealous of their holidays should have followed a career in the education sector. ///

As the judge has already said "There were certainly no training days when I was at school" or 13 weeks holidays, and the teachers still managed to educate the children to read and write, whereas there are many who leave school these days without these two essential qualifications.