长暑假与短暑假的理由Reasons for Long and Short Summer Holidays

Around the world, schools differ in terms of how much time off they give their students for different holidays. Some give very long holidays and others give much shorter ones. This essay will compare the respective merits of these approaches. In many countries, holidays used to coincide with the harvest, when children were expected to work alongside their families and so work was considered more important than education, but nowadays this is no longer the case even if those same approximate holiday periods are respected. This begs the question of why children are given so much time off school as it may seem like a luxury. In fact, now that children do not have to work, these long holidays can be viewed as rest periods, and given how stressful education can be—particularly in the teenage years—this is very valuable indeed. Holidays also allow children to spend more time with their families and friends. During the school year, they are in class throughout most of each weekday and of course parents also have to work, so these opportunities can be sadly limited, but in the holidays children can bond with their parents more, and they also have time to pursue their hobbies with friends in the neighbourhood. Whilst all of that is true, there are arguments in favour of shorter holiday periods. Although most parents love spending time with their children, this can become a challenge after a certain number of days. If a parent has to work, then they must find someone to look after their children, and this often costs money. Even when they can take time off, the job of looking after a child all day can prove exhausting and many parents are relieved at the end of the holidays when they can send their children back to school, where teachers are paid to take care of them. It is also true that schools give students structure and of course provide a constant flow of education and activity, stopping them from getting bored or turning to destructive activities, so keeping holidays to a minimum has some benefits from that perspective, too. In conclusion, there are clear benefits to both long and short holiday periods for schoolchildren.