I remember a time, long, long ago, way back, when I had just entered the teaching profession: summer holidays used to be eagerly anticipated and each day relished to the fullest. So that, once school re-opened, we were re-energized and ready to take on the new academic year.
Oh, and summer holidays used be for 6 weeks. That’s one and a half months. 50 days or rather- 1,200 glorious hours away from work!! Also, those were the days of no emails or mobile phones. So, if you were on holiday- You Were On Holiday! A register would come around before school closed, asking all staff to mention where they would be during the vacation (in town and therefore accessible or out of town), along with specific dates. I remember the glee with which many of us used to enter the date the school closed as the date of departure and the day before school re-opened as our date of return. Yes, summer holidays used to be that precious.
Many of us would devise ingenious ways to countdown to the summer holidays. By April- the summer would be severe and taking classes while wilting in the heat was no fun. But the countdown kept us going. And here are some of the methods we used to countdown from 1st April to whenever the holidays would begin in May:- count All the days (felt like Mt. Everest)- count Only working days (made the number smaller)- count the weeks but break them up into chunks of 5+5+3 or whatever, depending on any holidays that came in between.- Not count the date we were on. (again, made the number smaller)Mine was to cross of the dates on a calendar I’d keep in the kitchen. First thing in the morning, I’d cross off the date of the day with great pleasure. At 6.00 am it seemed a ridiculous thing to do but hey, it worked for me.
As the years went by, summer holidays began to shrink. From closing and re-opening along with the students, teachers began to get called back a week earlier (for training) which then extended to 10 days or even 2 weeks. The sense of anticipation also began to diminish, I don’t know if it was with age or just changing times. I’m speaking for myself here, so dissenters; please take note!
And now, thanks to the Pandemic, Work From Home and Lockdowns Unlimited, summer holidays have become unrecognizable. How can one be on holiday when one is already at home? How can one plan a trip when the whole world is in some form of lockdown?
And finally, how can a teacher ask students to write an essay on ‘How I spent my summer holidays’ when holidays themselves have changed meaning?!
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