Do your kids go to school on Sunday?

anon

Thu, Feb 14 2008, 1:07 pm

Mimisinger, I have the same issue. I'm dreading when our son has to go to school on Sunday. On top of that, the jewish schools also purposely make sure that their winter vacations don't coincide with xmas/new year, so children and parents can't be off at the same time. And the boys have extremely long school days during the week, considering their ages. It turns a lot of boys off.

Barbara

Thu, Feb 14 2008, 1:41 pm

amother wrote:

Sunday is their day to do all sorts of things. Go to museums, theater or concerts with us, go hiking, relax and dream, do creative writing, have playdates where they can do whatever they want, visit other parts of the city, do arts and crafts, bake, visit people...the list could go on and on.

Without completely unstructured time in my childhood I would have missed out on so much, and I don't want my kids to miss out on the time they need to relax, explore and discover things to enjoy and experience.

Agreed with the above. It's also a day to participate in sports -- baseball, basketball, hockey, and track all have Sunday programs. (Concededly, we do get any number of yeshiva kids who have 1/2 day school, and come for afternoon sports.)

At our school, middle school kids don't get home until about 5 pm, junior high 5:30, and high school at least 6 pm. That barely leaves enough time at night to eat dinner and do homework. I like the fact that Sunday is available for other pursuits.

For the record, wer're MO, and most MO schools in my area do not have school on Sunday.

sv9506

Thu, Feb 14 2008, 3:57 pm

I only have one child and he is less than a year old so I can't answer the question but this is actually something that really bothers me. In NY it seems to me that unless you send your sons to a co-ed MO school, they are going to have school on Sunday. Since I am not MO and plan on sending my son to a frum single relations school there seem to be no options. As mimi singer said - I would love to have Sunday to do different things with my children - ALL of them (since I think that many frum girls schools do not have school on Sundays the daughters are not the problem) - as a FAMILY. Just spend quality time together. Yes Shabbos is quality time but you can't go to different places (like museums, parks, zoos etc, as was mentioned previously). So basically I am on the same page as mimisinger. If you find any good schools please let me know Very Happy

↑ amother ↓

Thu, Feb 14 2008, 4:10 pm

Mimisinger wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

Mimisinger wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

I also live in Israel, and I think Sunday as a regular day is great. Growing up in England we often just wasted Sundays, or were bored. Why shouldn't our children learn on a Sunday? Yes, of course it's a non-Jewish idea to have a day to 'waste'.

There are holidays during the year for family days out, and that's enough. And, except for the older boys, the children all have time most afternoons for free play, reading etc. (The older girls sometimes have exams or lots of homework, but that is only temporary).

I just LOVE how if someone doesn't agree with you or doesn't understand something, it becomes a "non-Jewish idea" Rolling Eyes

. And, just because you think it's enough to have a half-day for family time, doesn't mean everyone does!

I thought you were interested in other people's opinions. And that's all I was writing; I certainly wasn't attacking you. Just remind me next time not to post what I think on your threads, if that's the response I am entitled to.

It is a non-Jewish idea to waste time. A Jew always has something worthwhile to do with his time and should be making the most of it (relaxing is also sometimes the best use of someone's time). If a child can learn another 20% Torah in their lifetime, isn't that something worth considering?

I feel that when you post that "it is a non-Jewish idea to waste time," it's as though you are quoting from a source, a gemara, a Rav, when in fact as you said it's your "opinion." Usually, when people write their opinions, they say, "I think" or "My opinion is..." it's not this closed, pseudo-factual statement. So, if you're writing your opinion, please say that. If you're stating a halachic ideal, please use a source as you have no problem doing on other threads.

I don't think that on a message board everyone needs to preface everything they say with "my opinion is.." Shalhevet wrote her post in a non-confrontational way and in no way deserved a sarcastic attack

WaitingtoDeliver

Thu, Feb 14 2008, 5:05 pm

While my DD is only 14 months old, I have spent a lot of time thinking about this one.

I come from a Lubavitch, out-of-town home, and never had school on Sundays. I think people should realize that "learning" does not only happen at school. Sundays are a great day for kids and adults to do some good "real-life" learning: making pancakes together, going on a nature walk, running errands, spending time with extended family, whatever works with each family's personality.

(Not to appear stupid, but what's tipat chalav?)

pink car ↓

Thu, Feb 14 2008, 9:38 pm

my kids currently are not in school on sundsay, cuz they're still in pre-school, but I like it when they're home

we try to go out every sunday as a family and they need the time to stay home and play and be read to etc. etc.

its just the attitude in frum NY area schools about kids being home from school...everytime the kids have vacation, parents complain!!! and it seems contagious!!! every parent I speak to complains when the kids are home!!

my question is don't these parents want to be the ones to educate their kids, or do they want the schools to be doing it all? even if a child is home from school, they can still learn, read etc.

I guess I'll never get it...

chavs

Fri, Feb 15 2008, 9:01 am

ds is only 2 1/2 so he clearly doesnt have school on Sundays yet.
When he does start school they do have school on Sundays, which I find really hard to cope with. Now Sundays are our family time, we go out and have a fun day together, we have lunch together, mummy, tatty and ds, we have fun and bond as a family. I will certainly miss our Sundays when he has to go to school.
I know that we have shabbos together but there is a limit to where we can go and what we can do on a shabbos for obvious reasons.

↑ mummy-bh

Fri, Feb 15 2008, 9:16 am

What needs to be pointed out here, is that as the children get older and the family grows, the dynamics in the family change.

Someone mentioned about school holidays - personally I enjoy the holidays but do admit to finding them hard, if all the kids are home together. I much prefer having the girls one week and the boys the next, the advantage is we can do 'girl' things the first week and 'boy' things when the boys are off.

We very rarely go out as the whole family anyway, maybe a handful of times during the summer and once or twice during chol hamoed. It's difficult to find a place that interests everyone. Most outings that take place with a parent involve one parent and the few kids that are interested in going to that particular place.

↑ amother ↓

Fri, Feb 15 2008, 9:23 am

Just because people find it difficult to keep a larger family entertained isn't an adequate reason, in my opinion, to want them to be in school six days to keep them busy. Kids need totally unstructured time. I think this is treating school like a babysitter, saying that it's hard to find things for everyone to do, so why not make them learn for six days a week?

So many of my interests were developed during my free time. When I was a kid, we had more free time because the school days were shorter, and I still cherished the time I spent wandering, writing, playing, reading and enjoying hobbies.

With all the restrictions in terms of activities on Shabbos, why would I want to eliminate the one day my kids have to do things that are completely entertaining, without restrictions? Not just entertaining, as many of the things they do are educational, as well. I want them to be well-rounded people, interested in lots of things other than learning, in the traditional school sense.

Now people say, "What would I do with them if I had them all home for a day?" and think school is the answer.

gryp

Fri, Feb 15 2008, 10:13 am

Quote:

So many people on this thread say that they're glad that their children are in school all week. Why doesn't anyone want to spend time with their children ?

Mimi, my 4 yr old will have a full day of school on Sundays next year IY"H. Although I'll admit I'm still desperately grabbing on to the last strands hanging from his babyhood embarrassed

and I want to spend more time with him, I think it's a good thing for him to be in school full day on Sundays.
Our hashkafa is that Sunday is like any other day, we don't have vacation from learning Torah. There are also very little snow days here, a snow day usually means that school is officially on and whichever kids make it to school are dismissed after a half-day. The only vacations we have our Sukkos and Pesach, Shushan Purim (this year it's on Shabbos), and a Sunday and Monday of Chanukah. Summer vacation is also being cut short a few days shorter and shorter each year and there are schools that don't get out until Tisha B'Av (I think).
So while I would love for him to be home and would love to be able to spend more time with him, he is better off in school learning Torah. We have a full day limudei kodesh program.
The Torah learning of the children is a big zechus, and not something I would be willing to mess around with. It's better this way.

↑ pink car

Fri, Feb 15 2008, 1:20 pm

Gr,
I agree with you that learning Torah is a big zechus etc. but for a child in todays day and age (I say this because previous generations, were not like today) needs to have unstructured play time for his development... and there's a lot a child can learn while at home and not in a classroom setting, that will enhance his Torah learning experience in school.

And while shabbos is where the whole family is together, let's face the fact, how many hrs are parents spending with the kids? the moring, everyone is in shul, afternoon, most parents would like to get a shabbos shluf...

mommy24

Fri, Feb 15 2008, 3:10 pm

Ruchel wrote:

pink car wrote:

everytime the kids have vacation, parents complain!!! and it seems contagious!!! every parent I speak to complains when the kids are home!!

I agree this is sad, but I have never heard parents complain just like that.

I have heard them complain when kids have off for absolutly no reason, ie xmas/new years and I have heard parents complain about all the inschool training days that we find out about just a few days before. Oh, and maybe when they are stressed that Pesach is coming and they won't be ready by the time the kids vacation starts (but I don't take that one seriously).

My kids are in school on sundays, boys full day and girls half day(by 1st grade). And guess what they love it! Very Happy

Occasionally they may complain when one of the younger kids have off, and they don't, but it lasts for a minute of yelling off to school and no one remembers later.

I love that they have school, of course, it would be nice for them to have a little more at home (trying to schedule dr apps is close to impossible), BUT, at home they don't have the structure (and quiet) that they get in school , when it comes to daavening and learning.

We make sure to spend a wonderful Shabbos together. And make sure that once a month all kids have to be home shabbos day no playdates. And Sunday nite we usually eat dinner together as family, which doesn't happen during the week.

↑ Imaonwheels

Sun, Feb 17 2008, 12:45 am

2 things - Not everyone has Sunday off (already said) for us as a grocery stocking up after Shabbos makes Sunday work very important for us.

Also, not everyone is into all of the museums and stuff.

I have older kids. When my kids were little I refused to go to work and we had special time together every day. We also turned every tipat chalav, dentist appt and so on into a fun day to spend alone with that child who had an appt. We have all of chol hamoed off, Shabbos to be together, all Nissan and all Tishrei is vacation. Young kids until like 3rd grade are home by 2:00 at the latest. Every Israeli Mom heads to the park with her kids after 4 if the day is nice. Or take a walk in to town (when we lived in the city). Now my kids like to be with their friends day to day and family outings are for simchas, Shabbosim to married siblings and trips during Nissan and Tishrei. We also have no ability to go on chol hamoed. We hate the crowds and don't have a car. In addition, the Shulchan Aruch specifically mentions the chenvani (shopkeeper) as one who is allowed to remain open and write on chol hamoed. We are everyone else's simchas moed. We also make a lot of parnassa that week as people are in to stock up on eat on the run food before leaving on their trips.

Now 2 of my boys come home from yeshiva once every 2 weeks. This week they called and asked to go to a friend. Not every week but once in a while ok. They are in shiur alef and just getting to know the other boys. Although by 6th grade my boys were learning until 6 and they all go to dorm at 14 a educational counselor recently told me that it is beautiful how my boys are so attached to home, family and each other.

↑ Ruchel ↓

Sun, Feb 17 2008, 11:44 am

About museums, you really have to find what you like. I would die of boredom in many museums, but I LOVE some others. You need to just try. Some museums are free on some days, less expensive for large families and/or students... you can make it easier like that.
Most kids enjoy seeing the Egyptian stuff, I notice - especially the mummies and the sarcophages (sp?).