The Catholic Confederation of Parents of Students (CONCAPA) yesterday presented its third Barometer, addressing in an extensive study topics such as assessment of time and homework, families tourism programs, freedom of education and educational policy, or society and economic crisis.
Among the results, it is worth highlighting that almost eight out of every ten parents surveyed (78.3%) think that it is totally or quite necessary for students to reinforce the knowledge they have explained in the classroom during the day; and that almost half (48.3 percent) believe that summer school vacations should be redistributed throughout the year. Here you have the full report, of which we will comment and / or briefly reflect some of the points included.
Let's start with the school times: we'll start knowing that the Primary and Secondary students have 175 total class days during the year. And that, although in all European countries there are school holidays starting in June or July, the concentration of days off in summer months is higher in Italy, Greece or Spain than (for example in Denmark). However, That does not mean that here children work less because they have more vacation days.
Why do I say this ?, you will see, according to this report (from the Community of Madrid) called “School times in educational systems: comparative picture”; in Germany and France they have more vacations during the year, although less weeks than in Spain during the summer. And yes, I have only sought information from our immediate surroundings, I know that in the United States the holidays begin in May, in Canada it seems to me that also in June, I do not know the organization of Asian, Oceania and South American schools. The world is very big, and my goal was to establish a small comparison.
Within the school days, comment that six out of ten people consider the 175 class days they have in Spain appropriate. If you ask me about summer vacations, I consider them fair, considering that the weather is not here the same as in Norway, and that if they return in August as they do there, children could have a hard time inside the classrooms.
But at the moment, the position of the parents is not so much 'how many vacations they have!' Is it that they do not work? ', But rather' how am I going to organize to assist them if even though we take turns my partner and I in the Work vacations, do we not cover the entire period? '
What do children do on vacation?
CONCAPA has proposed nine options from which parents must have chosen. Among them the most valued have been 'increasing family life', and 'alternating rest with physical activity and learning other knowledge'.
And at the other extreme (the least valued option) we find 'rest and do nothing', which does not surprise me that it was not a favorite for parents, because not even a child would want to do that on vacation. Because one thing is to avoid homework on vacation, and another very different is the need for total rest, although I fear that I understand it differently to the organization conducting the study.
In other words, a child will want to bathe, read, play with his friends, watch grandparents, make jam, watch TV, jump rope, travel, but do nothing is unlikely to be chosen
Activities have also been included such as reviewing or preparing the subjects of the following course, which have obtained an average assessment
Homeworks
Of the percentages of parents (remember: 78.3 percent) who believe that non-university students should reinforce the knowledge explained in the classroom through homework; They consider it necessary for teachers to coordinate so that homework is not excessive. It is also thought that In Secondary the average will be two hours a day, time that from third of ESO in my opinion is very adequate, but before ... perhaps it would be convenient to reduce a little.
Two out of ten consider that housework is something or nothing necessary (21.7%). Remember that here we have published several entries for reflection on homework, and others with recommendations, the first will surely be the most controversial, and alleged excessive overload, the fact that they do not develop aspects of character as intended, and even that they may cancel out the taste for learning.
In another order of things, the CONCAPA observatory has requested the opinion of the participants on the 'family tourism', the 'quantification of teachers' or the 'freedom of education and educational policy', you can check it in the report. And for my part I rescue in the last place the opinion of the families on the responsibility of the current economic and employment crisis of the Spanish families. It is attributed first to political parties, followed by banks, unions and businesses; while the measures taken have benefited especially the first two.
98.8 percent of respondents believe that politicians have not adjusted their salaries and expenses in coherence and proportion with the sacrifice required of Spanish families
And now I am done, but I do it by remembering that the fact that parents have a difficult time attending to their children on vacation (you may think they are very long, but perhaps it is due to the lack of conciliation) It is not the children's responsibility.
Images | Pink Sherbet Photography, www.audio-luci-store.it More information | CONCAPA In Peques and More | Holidays and work reconciliation: what do we do with children? Can children continue learning during the summer without homework?
