The old adage about too much of a good thing had definitely taken hold so an end to the teachers' strike is most certainly welcomed.
Summer vacation typically ranks right up there with Christmas and birthdays on the list of most anticipated times of the year for kids. As the school year grinds it way toward a conclusion each spring, students count the days, or in some cases the sleeps, until that bell rings for the final time.
Even if you're not going anywhere on summer vacation, the sheer fact you won't be in class for another two months makes it a magical time. Couple that with later bedtimes, relaxed schedules and responsibilities, and the best weather of the year, and you've got yourself a situation you never want to end.
Or so it would seem - until it doesn't! As much as summer holidays are craved and initially embraced, there comes a time every year, usually in mid-August, where boredom sets in and, heaven forbid, school doesn't sound that bad. It's a time when the thought of a little homework is willing to be entertained because it comes along with renewing ties with friends and teachers, and experiencing all the other benefits that school offers.
As much as Labour Day marks a wistful end to another summer, it also signifies the start of a new chapter, so it's welcomed in its own way. Yet this year that renewal has yet to begin and parents are finding out that boredom in mid-August has nothing on its mid-September counterpart.
As a result of full-scale job action that commenced in mid-June, it's been three months since the last day of classes. Although parents have been trying to find activities to keep their kids entertained, nothing can replicate school in terms of engaging the brain and creating structure.
Children and their parents adhere to a calendar so ingrained that altering even a week, to say nothing of three, throws us for a loop. The weather may be telling us it's still August, but we inherently know it's time for kids and their teachers to go back to the classroom.
Summer vacation holds a special place in our hearts and minds, but it doesn't belong in September. Like ice cream or Gordon Campbell, too much of a good thing can eventually take a turn for the worse.
Three months of summer holidays is one too many. Everyone, from teachers and school support staff to students and parents, is vacationed out. It's time that everybody got back to class.
