Learning English at Duques de Nájera

Ya ha acabado el verano y, como todos los años, resurge el tema de la longitud de las vacaciones de verano.

En primer lugar recordemos que según la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño (1989), en su Artículo 31.1 dice:"Los Estados Partes reconocen el derecho del niño al descanso y el esparcimiento, al juego y a las actividades recreativas propias de su edad y a participar libremente en la vida cultural y en las artes."

(Summer is over and, as every year, the topic of the length of summer holidays reappear.
First of all we must remember that according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) which says in its Article 31.1: " States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.")

De todos modos, las vacaciones escolares son tan antiguas como la institución escolar; desde los primeros tiempos, el año escolar se organizó alternando periodos lectivos con descansos. Además cada dos o tres días debe haber media jornada libre, ya que el cansancio se va acumulando y no es suficiente el descanso al final del día para evitarlo.

(School holidays are as old as school; from the beginning, the school year has been organized alternating the class periods with breaks. In addition, every two or three days there must be a half day off, since weariness is accumulated and the rest at the end of the day to recover from it is not sufficient.)

Pero, ¿por qué unas vacaciones de verano tan largas?

El calendario escolar actual con casi tres meses de vacaciones en verano no entró en vigor hasta principios del siglo XX.
El primer calendario se extendía a lo largo del año con pequeños descansos entre trimestres, pero la asistencia no era obligatoria por lo que los alumnos iban al colegio la mitad del tiempo (sobre todo en verano ya que se pensaba que el calor propagaba enfermedades); en las áreas rurales la primavera era la época de plantar, el verano de cultivar y el otoño de recolectar, por lo que los chicos iban al colegio unos 5-6 meses en invierno.

(Why are summer holidays so long?
The current school calendar with three months off in the summer did not come into being until the early 20th century.
The original school calendar was year-round with short breaks between quarters but attendance was not mandatory so many students were only there for half the days, (above all in summer as some believed that hot weather spread disease); in rural areas the spring was planting time, summer was cultivating, and fall was harvest, so children attended school for approximately 5-6 months in the winter.)

Sin embargo, el historiador Kenneth M. Gold de la City University of New York explica que, contrariamente a lo que se cree, nuestro calendario actual no está basado en ese calendario agrario sino que es el resultado de los procesos de centralización, profesionalización de la enseñanza y, sobre todo, estandarización en la educación pública. Asimismo el calendario fue basado en el convencimiento – Gold cita numerosos estudios médicos del siglo XIX – de que el trabajo continuo y la sobrecarga de trabajo intelectual, tanto de alumnos como profesores, era contraproducente y podía afectar la salud.

(Nevertheless, the historian Kenneth M. Gold of City University of New York explains that, contrary to popular belief, our present calendar is not based on that rural calendar but it is the result of the processes of centralization, professionalization and, above all, standardization within public education. Likewise, it was based on the belief that – Gold cites numerous medical studies from the nineteenth century – continuous work and mental overwork, both for pupils and teachers, could have a boomerang effect and affect their health.)

En su libro "Un tiempo para cada cosa" (2002) el Dr. Todd D. Rakoff, catedrático de la Facultad de Derecho de Harvard, sitúa el origen de las vacaciones escolares de verano en las leyes estales sobre la asistencia obligatoria al colegio – para oponerse al trabajo infantil – a finales del siglo XIX y en el establecimiento como norma de la duración del curso escolar para favorecer la movilidad de las familias.

(In his book, A Time for Every Purpose (2002), Todd D. Rakoff, a Harvard Law School professor, locates the origin of the summer school vacation in state compulsory attendance laws – to discourage child labor – which began in the late nineteenth century and the establishment of a standard school year-length to be favourable the mobility of households.)
Para William A. Fischel,[http://www.dartmouth.edu/~wfischel/] en su trabajo “¿Te veré en septiembre?” Una explicación económica de las vacaciones de verano, lo de elegir septiembre como el mes más idóneo para el comienzo del curso escolar
se debió simplemente al hecho de que julio y agosto son los meses más baratos e idóneos para viajar (debido al buen tiempo) y así el verano se convirtió en la época habitual en que las familias que se mudaban de ciudad y los colegios cerraban.

De hecho, aún hoy día esta época es la elegida para los cambios de trabajo y de residencia, sobre todo si tienen niños.

(For William A. Fischel, in his “Will I See You in September?” An Economic Explanation for Summer School Vacation, September became the preferred time to start the school year because travel is cheaper during July and August (due to good weather), and so summer became the standard time for families to move and for schools to close. In fact, nowadays Summer remains the prime season for households to move and change work, especially if they have children.)

Asimismo los diplomados de las escuelas normales que se gradúan en junio serán contratados para empezar en septiembre y tendrán tiempo para cambiar su residencia y preparar sus clases en el nuevo colegio, lo mismo aquellos profesores que cambien de lugar de trabajo.

(The graduates of normal schools who graduate in June will be hired for September employment with time for moving and preparing classes in the new school and the same for those teachers who change school.)

El hecho de que este esquema esté extendido en todo el mundo – o casi, Japón tiene un calendario un poco distinto: el curso empieza en abril con tres trimestres separados por cortas vacaciones en primavera e invierno, y unas vacaciones largas de un mes en verano – se debe a que en una sociedad móvil estas largas vacaciones de verano son la forma menos costosa de estructurar la educación.

(The reason why this scheme is worldwide – almost, Japan has a different school time: the school year begins in April and it consists of three terms, which are separated by short holidays in spring and winter, and a one month long summer break– is due to the fact that in a mobile society this long summer holiday period is a less costly way to structure education.)

La discusión de "son demasiado largas o no" está siempre abierta y como sobre gustos no hay nada escrito...
Lo único cierto es que no existe ningún estudio que muestre una correlación significativa entre más horas de clase (menos vacaciones) y mejores resultados académicos.
Como dice el refrán:"El trabajo sin reposo convierte a Juan en un soso."

(The discussion about "too long summer holidays" is open and as there's no accounting for tastes...
The fact is that there is not any work which shoes a significant link between longer hours in the classroom (less holidays) and higher standards.
As the proverb goes:"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." )

¿Si Michael Jackson hubiera tenido más vacaciones de niño en vez de ser explotado su talento, hubiera tenido una mejor vida? In memórian.

accountant(s)	baker(s)	barber(s)
barman (barmen)	builder(s)	butcher(s)
carpenter(s)	cashier(s)	chambermaid(s)
chef(s)	cleaner(s)	dentist(s)
doctor(s)	electrician(s)	engineer(s)
fireman (firemen)	fishmonger(s)	flight attendant(s)
hairdresser(s)	judge(s)	lawyer(s)
nurse(s)	optician(s)	painter(s)
photographer(s)	plumber(s)	policeman (policemen)
porter(s)	post[wo]man (post[wo]men)	receptionist(s)
reporter(s)	sales assistant(s)	sales representative(s)
scientist(s)	secretary (secretaries)	surgeon(s)
tailor(s)	teacher(s)	technician(s)
vet(s)	waiter(s)	welder(s)

Job	What do they do?	Where do they work?
Accountants	Look after the finances in an organisation.	They work in an office.
Bakers	Bake bread.	They work in a bakery.
Barbers	Shave men's beards and cut men's hair.	They work in a barbers.
Barmen/women	Serve drinks.	They work in a bar, pub or restaurant.
Butchers	Prepare and sell meat.	They work in a butchers.
Chambermaids	Clean and tidy rooms.	They work in a hotel.
Chefs	Prepare and cook food.	They work in a kitchen.
Dentists	Look after people's teeth.	They work in a dentists.
Doctors	Look after people's health.	They work in a hospital or surgery.
Fishmongers	Prepare and sell fish.	They work in a fishmongers.
Flight attendants	Look after passengers.	They work in an aeroplane (airplane AmE).
Hair dressers	Cut and style people's hair.	They work in a hair salon.
Judges	Judge and sentence people.	They work in a law court.
Lawyers	Defend and prosecute people.	They work in a law court and in a lawyers office.
Nurses	Look after patients .	They work in a hospital or doctor's surgery.
Opticians	Look after people's eye sight.	They work in an opticians.
Porters	Carry other people's bags and luggage.	They work in a hotel or train station.
Receptionists	Meet and greet visitors.	They work in reception.
Sales Assistants	Sell goods and look after customers.	They work in a shop.
Secretaries	Arrange appointments, type letters and organise meetings.	They work in an office.
Surgeons	Operate on people who are sick.	They work in a hospital.
Tailors	Design, make, alter or repair garments,	They work in factories and shops.
Teachers	Teach people.	They work in a school.
Technicians	Organise and repair technical equipment.	They work everywhere!
Vets	Look after people's animals.	They work in a veterinary surgery or vets.
Waiters/Waitresses	Serve people food and drink.	They work in a restaurant.
Welders	Weld metal to make things.	They work in factories and construction.