How Many Day’s ‘Til School Starts?
My car wouldn’t start this morning and I had to get some help (thanks universe). The tow truck driver showed up and his kid (a 10 year old girl) was with him. First day of summer vacation and she’s riding around in a truck doing service calls.
Had a walk through the park and passed two mums yelling at their kids on the playground. First day of summer and their patience is already gone.
Important to remember that for many people summer isn’t a wonderful, let’s travel up to the cottage and swim in the lake, sit around and play board games time of the year.
Many kids had to get up early this morning and head out to programmed, organized activities, just like every other day because their parents are working and there’s no other option.
Those might be the lucky ones. Others are on their own or pushed out of the house or into the basement by adults that aren’t thrilled to have them around the house for 10 weeks. Those might be the same kids who are missing those school snack programs.
And spare a thought for those parents that know this is supposed to be a magical time for their kids but simply don’t have the resources to provide camping trips or can’t take any time off.
Something is never just one thing.
Looking Up 
Thanks for this, Andrew. It’s incredibly true. I’m 2 days into a “memory of a lifetime” holiday, and I know my kids will revisit this time over and over again, but not everyone gets to do this. A handful of my Grade 8 students showed up at school in the days after grad, very willing to be helping hands with end-of-school jobs, because the alternative was sitting at home alone. For many of my students (particularly in intermediate) that’s what the summer will look like, with the added bonus of younger siblings to “parent”.
It’s something that’s important for us to remember, when we ask our classes to share their summer memories in September. Not everyone’s will taste like s’more!
I teach in a low-income school and students often tell me that they did nothing more than watch younger siblings during the summer. No trips to the lake. No trips to the water park. Just really bad swamp coolers in 120 degree heat. Many of them are ready to be back in school.
It’s while I’ll never be able to get behind the whole un-school-for-everyone movement. Social context matters. Economic issues are prevalent.
Exactly. Being in a economically disadvantaged school, I know this is real. These are the students that tend to act out as the year winds down. They may not be able to articulate it, but their summer will be tenuous and uncertain.
Like Lisa said, It’s important to remember this in September.