Why the need to have no school tomorrow???

amother

Sage

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:36 am

I teach and I think it's rediculous!
Yeah of course it's nice, (even though I'm bh home with my kids, so it's not a very productive day), but I don't think it makes sense to not have school a day before erev.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:40 am

amother Honeysuckle wrote:

I don’t think anyone is blaming teachers. They don’t make school calendar decisions. People upset with school administration and their lame excuses for no school.
Even if it’s for traveling. Travel after work on Thursday or maybe take a vacation day and find a local substitute for your class. That what any other working person would do.

Finding a substitute not before YT is extremely hard. Right before YT? Forget it.
And not only will there be a lack of adequate staffing, but the student attendance rate in my community would be dismal.
So if there's not enough students and not enough staff, there won't be regular education, which is the point in school.
If you're saying it's for babysitting (not the purpose of school), there are options to find one in your house or send to a camp, etc

A logical school takes everything into equation. But when it boils down to the reality that school won't be functioning as a school, they make the decision to start vacation at that point.

amother

Lilac

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:41 am

Shopmiami49 wrote:

So that the teachers can make yom tov

This. The only way it makes sense to me is if this is just one of those things included in the ‘package’ that makes it beneficial for teachers to teach in Jewish schools

amother

Dill

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:43 am

amother Honeysuckle wrote:

For traveling means NOT the teachers, the students. Many families wil be traveling tomorrow.
I'm not going away, but I'm happy that my kids will be off to help me out.

amother

Hunter

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:47 am

amother Peachpuff wrote:

Ok don't turn this into a teachers thing.

It's so people can travel

Confused - majority of parents work nowadays, so do they not work these two days so they can travel? Or don't most of them travel after work hours?

amother

Dill

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:49 am

amother Hunter wrote:

Confused - majority of parents work nowadays, so do they not work these two days so they can travel? Or don't most of them travel after work hours?

I know many people that are taking off tomorrow to fly/drive to their destinations.

amother

Tangerine

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:49 am

We have school tomorrow. And I'm a teacher and am fine with it. Yes, some of my students will be out, so the plan is not to do anything that will be a big deal for them to miss. None of these excuses hold water. Being closed erev is one thing, erev erev is just silly.

boysrus

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:49 am

hodeez wrote:

Why does my son have a half day today , how far do you guys have to travel already

well you probably read Hashemyaazor's post upthread, that for example, she lives a full days drive away from the east coast and a large portion of her community goes to east coast for yomtov. Thats kind of a long drive, right?
And for those who are traveling to grandparents etc at the other end of the country etc. Or even in a different country. Makes sense to me.
Of cousre if all your family lives within a 3 hour drive of you then it wont make sense to you. But thats quite a narrow point of view isnt it?

amother

Hunter

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:50 am

amother Dill wrote:

For traveling means NOT the teachers, the students. Many families wil be traveling tomorrow.
I'm not going away, but I'm happy that my kids will be off to help me out.

Its only a select few that travel cross country or out of country. Most parents would readily work their travel around the school hours. The schools that give school tomorrow generally function just fine with a handful of students missing.

It's just rationalizing the off day. If its considered a benefit for the teachers, then say it as it is. The parents see thru the lane excuses.

amother

Dill

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:50 am

DrMom wrote:

My kids are off from YK through Simchat Torah.

My daughter has a friend that their family moved from Israel to the US several years ago. The girls don't go to school from after YK because that's what's done in Israel and that's what they're used to.

amother

Hunter

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:51 am

boysrus wrote:

In many of the schools these families are the minorities. There is no need to give off for everyone on the account of the minority. It makes sense for select schools where it's a majority, but those are few.

mha3484

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:55 am

I always question the travel day. I know a lot of people who travel for pesach my experience is a lot fewer leave town for sukkos. I feel like those who leave leave and the rest of us should have school today.

And I live a 12 hr drive from the east coast.

notshanarishona

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:57 am

My guess is as a travel day. The schools don’t want to put people into a position of having to fly on erev Shabbos/ tom tov.
Probably about 30-50% of my students travel for yom tov. To make school the day before erev would just be babysitting.

amother

Teal

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 8:57 am

amother Hunter wrote:

I'm in Ohio. A 7-8 hr drive to several East coast communities like Monsey and Lakewood, 6 hrs to Chicago.

It's a not a day for teachers to be off. It's a travel day.

Our school had an hour late start on Tuesday and all divisions are being dismissed at 4 today, Wednesday.
That allows families to leave at 4 today and get to relatives on Thursday, or leave on Thursday and get there Thursday night, Erev YT.

I wonder what percentage of our parent body goes out of town. It depends a lot on the age bracket of the families, and I am not a very young family and don't live on that kind of block... but maybe 30-40% of families go out of town?

amother

Carnation

Wed, Sep 27 2023, 9:00 am

It's ridiculous. Majority of people aren't traveling on thursday...most can leave after school or on Friday. How many working people can just up and leave 2 days before a week-long holiday. And there is no reason to say it's because teachers/rebbeim need to prepare for Yom tov because all other working people manage. I agree its not the teachers fault, it's more the school, but imagine the screaming and yelling from teachers if this day was added to the school calendar. Last year my sons yeshiva tried to give an extra day of school before pesach and the teachers fought to have it removed.