Wow! thanks so much for this! It is exactly the same in Canada as the US right now. Parents are finally now speaking to the school boards about excessive vacation time and ‘pd’ days and some parents have proposed only one week instead of two weeks off for March break, which ties into Easter. Currently, there is 2 weeks off at Christmas, March break, as well as July and August off.
Recently, they have added one week off in February and a long weekend in October and November, other then the thanksgiving long weekend. Every second Friday, there is no school for kindy and a half day for Grades 1-6. Parents are bombarded with requests to volunteer in class (support staff has been cut) and school goes from 8:35 to 3:07pm.
This is in Alberta. It is different in other Canadian provinces with much less vacation time. I work Monday to Friday, 9-5 and I volunteer two of my lunch hours per week to assist with the hot lunch program, which parents pay for. I also volunteer teach basic meditation to many classes-I have two children in the elementary school this year but I will be teaching 4 x twenty minute sessions to 4 different classes this year.
As well as running my own household, it is really too much!
Tales & Truths 