Poll: Mid-Winter Vacation


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27 COMMENTS

  1. If a break was that important to help the kids grow, then why don’t boys have mid-winter vacation? Don’t boys need to strengthen their learning as well if not more than the girls?

  2. This break is needed for all. I just don’t think that it needs to be so long (including Tuesday for the girls!).
    Some will say “what do you mean, I work the whole year with only a two week vacation spread out somewhere”??
    I am a former teacher who’s working now, and I’ telling you that it’s much harder to teach than to have a ‘regular’ job, they need more time more often to recharge their batteries.

  3. @ #4, what do you do with them when they have off for holidays, which are longer???????
    they don’t need a break, no one else gets a “mid-winter” break.

  4. for boys Friday and Sunday is enough for Girls 2 days off is enough. Let TLS do a vote on the Summer vacation that the boys have so called “July” Yeshiva .Why are they off between day camp and school a total of 2 weeks.

  5. I think that there is no need for vacation especially a month after chanukah because then why not give of 4 days every month and for working parents what are they suppose to do they work hard and their company doesn’t say oh you Work so hard u need a vacation if people think that students need to unwind then for one week don’t give them homework

  6. @Rambo, I don’t know what religion you’re apart of, but in mine you’ve got Nissan, Tishrei, Purim, Chanukah, Shavuos, every Shabbos, summer vacation, and every fast day, should I go on? When I pay $600 a month per kid for schooling I expect to get exactly that, schooling.

  7. If Chanukka would be a longer vacation, you could dispense with Midwinter. But Chanukka is a very short break. Kids need a change, even just to hang out at home.

  8. i urge all of you to take advantage if your school gives them a day off and spend time with them,

    life is to short. hang up your phones, texts and emails.

    before you know it your kids are grown up and you missed the real nachas.

    take it from me. I wish i could have the strength to go out with my kids for a trip. unfortunatly that is currently not the case..

    look at what hashem gave you.

    take a day off and stiop being a slave to your boss, your phone and the rest of the world.

  9. It’s mamish an avlah to the parents. The children don’t need it right after Chanukah and soon Purim/Pesach, and most every year there are also some snow days ect. Some perants auctlly really work (in a real job) for a living, and can’t be taking off every day, as it is, they don’t have enough days for the Yomim Tovim, And when their children get sick, so why do we need more? And beside the point, there is much commpitition going on – where to go, and the expence is enourmous in this “great” eccomomy. How much bittel Torah goes on? Kollel people have to miss their persious sedorim for three days. Why don’t we wake up and all protest this to the schools an yeshivas to STOP THIS!

  10. WHY ASK this question? It is just to get everyone all fired up and complain!!

    Stop always complaining and grow up. Our children are gifts and we should not act as if it is a burden to spend time with them..when we are not rushed.

  11. I love my kids and enjoy immensely spending these extra days with them. That being said, by the time Tuesday comes, they are frantic, bored, climbing the walls, off schedule (no bus to catch in the morning means not much incentive to get to bed on time), and extremely disinterested in anything other than getting back into a healthy structured routine. I spent years taking my children to work with me which created havoc in the workplace. Lots of bitul zman that my bosses still paid me for and I still feel badly about. Now that I no longer work, there is less chaos but a lot of expectations like trips and high school plays and great clothing/shoe sales. I would like to get rid of this midwinter break idea in favor of some extra time in the summer when its possible to enjoy less costly outdoor activities or extra time by Channukah so that everyone can actually enjoy time with extended family instead of spending so much time traveling because its a “school night”. These midwinter days are all about spending money we don’t have to give the kinderlach a nice time because they have no structure to their day. A 5 day extended vacation just kacha is a complete waste of time, money, and resources that could be used more wisely elsewhere.

  12. All the people who are complaining, have B’H kids.
    I ask u, isn’t it worth to have kids, and thank the Rbsh’o for allowing to spend 2 days quality time with them; the R’L the other way round?!!

  13. dont even start with the teachers needing a break. they just had twelve weeks off in the summer followed by three weeks off in tishrei followed by a couple of solid weeks of school and then chanuka vacation.
    who else gets that much vacation?
    If the kids need a break in routine try this:
    no homework for a week.
    off shabbos, friday and sunday. this way families can go away for shabbos and it doesnt really interfere with parents having to work. (I wouldnt mind having this type of thing once a month.)
    a different type of school day. instead fo the reg. learning, try bringing in a guest storyteller, some type of games in class. have the eight graders prepare an activity for the younger kids. have the older grades prepare dvar torahs to teach the younger grades.
    this way they are all in school, supervised but a change of pace.
    it is unfair to expect parents the pay the expensive tuitions yet also have to skip work for useless vacations.
    not to mention having to entertain . tonight i took four kids bowling and it cost forty bucks! yes we enjoyed spending time with the kids, but how can I afford to keep treating them out when I am on a tight budget? Now I still have another three days…

  14. we have this same old argument every year. there are those with a sense of ‘entitlement’ to schooling above and beyond what is on the school schedule, ‘because we are paying for it’ or because ‘what should we do with them for 3 days?’
    the bottom line is like what happened with the school bus drivers on Thanksgiving. It is clearly on the school calendar. plan accordingly. if you think the school should do away with it, then negotiate before the year starts and offer to pay more to compensate for the extra work.
    respectfully
    a rebbi

  15. I think it is about time we stop learning from the (moderated). this is a yiddisha shtetl and should be treated as such! who needs vacation “adam l’amal yulad” we must be mechanech our children that a person is created to toil!!!

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