About Spring Break

"I would personally like to thank the person responsible for coming up with the idea of Spring Break." That quote - my own, natch - could have come from many sources other than a teacher. Mall retailers would concur; mall security would not. Children would agree; parents may not. School bus drivers are on the positive side; service stations weigh in on the negative.

A break, then, is like hunting: It all depends on perspective.

Let me play the devil's advocate and give you some reasons why I wonder if Spring Break (aka Easter Holidays, in some places) is actually in the best interests of all concerned. (Maybe you want to back up and read that again.)

Don't get me wrong: I am all for breaks, whether they are longer lunches, four-day weeks, shift work, banked hours, or even paid paternity for men. I know these options are actually in vogue with various companies, but I venture to say that they are less common, not more common. The real question is, Are they effective?

Reason Number One: With the loss of academic momentum, students find it harder to get going, mentally, after ten days of doing nothing. Case in point: Even you must admit that you find it hard to get going to work after a long weekend (like today, for some of you), and that's only after one extra day! And don't you feel you need another holiday to recover from your two-week holiday? I thought so.

Reason Number Two: More breaks do not necessarily translate into better effort. I am not advocating for a return to the abuses of sweatshops or to the cruelty of child labour; nor am I suggesting that it was easier back in the '40's and '50's when your dad and granddad slaved for ten hours a day, six days a week. (That was one reason why unions were invented.) But I would nod in the direction of a higher, better work ethic back then – in part, because of a higher, better attitude towards work.

The cavalier attitude towards studies (school) or employment (work) is, quite frankly, very scary. Modern technology has not contributed to better effort or greater productivity, and I am speaking strictly in the area of "quality control." Quality control shows up in the form or workmanship, work habits, and completed tasks, for starters. There are many contributing factors here, with a comfortable lifestyle being the principle culprit.

In other words, easier daily demands – whether at school or at work – are not necessarily good.

Reason Number Three: Breaks are necessary, but perhaps they could be better spaced. You have read it here before, that is, my (genuine) argument for year-round school. University students need to get out and earn money, to be sure, but for regular students, a few days here and a few days there would work in their favour. If it sounds like I have issues with a ten-week summer break, you're right.

If I had my 'druthers,' I'd re-start school by the first of August, with a week-long break by the first of October, and the next one at Christmas. That would be followed by something in March and early May. If the school schedule was based on semesters, I would likely work around them.

A careful reader may sense my apparent inconsistency. On one hand, I seem to be arguing against breaks, and on the other hand, allowing for more. Well, I 'm not inconsistent at all. A very careful reader would notice that I am simply suggesting we take a long look at how we plan and place our breaks - be it school or work. Well-planned and well-placed breaks are a blessing; not so well-planned or placed are a bane.

So here's to the rest of the week of Spring Break. Just be grateful that I am not the Minister of Education (yet). If I were, we would be discussing this column tomorrow...in class.