Topic 6
Reading
It used to be that parents took their children on vacation during the summer, when school was out of session. But today, much more often than in the past, many parents take their children on vacation during the school year. Although these children are away from school, sometimes for several weeks, traveling itself serves a valuable educational function.
The most important educational benefit of taking children on vacation is that traveling exposes children to new places and cultures. It is good for children to read about distant countries, but it is even better to take them there. What students learn by meeting the people and absorbing the culture of these places is something they could not learn in their classrooms.
Moreover, the benefits to the children who have been away from the classroom for several weeks traveling continue after they have returned to their classes. Students who are in school every day of the school year can easily lose enthusiasm for their studies. But students invigorated by time away return with heightened excitement.
The trend of students taking vacations during the school year also has benefits for teachers. When these students return to school, their knowledge and enthusiasm contribute positively to the entire class. Teachers can ask the children to share stories of their travels with their peers and can incorporate what they have learned from traveling into writing and reading projects. This makes lesson development easier for teachers because the returning students’ experiences provide a ready basis for classroom discussions and projects.
Topic 6 Listening
Now, let’s consider how taking children on vacation when school is in session impacts their education. I believe the impact on children and their teachers can be quite negative.
While students have been traveling, their fellow students have been working. What do you think happens when they return to school? Well, they have to spend a lot of time “playing catch-up,” you know, doing work that fellow students have already done. It’s one thing to miss a day or two of school, but many parents take their children on vacation for weeks on end, and it’s very difficult for any child to make up that much missed time. So, the missed learning has to be weighed against the benefits of traveling and learning about other cultures. On balance, what is lost is greater than what is gained.
When children come back to class after a long trip, they’re excited about their recent adventures. Sounds good, but this enthusiasm can have a downside. Their excitement can make it difficult for them to fit back into the routine of the school day. School seems a little boring to them, so they’re not attentive to their studies, and their restlessness can distract other students.
When a student is distracted or has to catch up on missed work, there’s a negative effect on the teacher too. Teachers have lesson plans that detail, day by day, what they are going to teach. When a student is absent from the classroom, this interferes with a teacher’s plan for that student. And if teachers spend time helping a few students catch up, they have less time for other students… so they suffer too.