Saturday 1 September 2007

Saturday Photo: The End of Summer, and Back to School

Summer vacation for most school children in Montreal last two months and a bit, from just before the St. Jean Baptiste holiday or Fête nationale June 24 until the last week in August.

Last Thursday these kids were headed for the school my children attended, École Nouvelle Querbes. They only went for half a day, and in small groups. Next Tuesday, after the Labour Day holiday, they'll go back for full days and in full class groups. They looked pretty excited, as did their parents.

It reminded me that long ago when I was covering education in the suburbs east of San Francisco Bay, school officials--who then counted on property taxes for most of their budget--always tried to schedule any tax hike or bond issue referendum for September. Parents tended to look very kindly on schools at that point: keeping the kids busy and out of trouble during those long summer days frequently makes one better appreciate what schools do.

No comments: