As a child, I so looked forward to Christmas vacation.

I could hardly wait to be free of school, homework and studying for tests.

All of that work was put on hold for two wonderful weeks. As a parent, I think I look forward to the break in the school year even more.

After three months of being on a merry-go-round I look forward to relaxing. No getting up and getting kids off to school in the morning, no homework, papers, tests for two glorious weeks.

Or so it seemed.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those teachers who think that breaks in the school year are wasted time and have assigned, yet again, projects to be done over the break and handed in when the kids return from school. How I loathe this.

My family so looks forward to time just to be together, to regroup, rest and let our minds gel for a few weeks.

I suppose in the academic world, this is wrong, but for my family it is a great time to reenergize and rest.

Now we all get to agonize over setting time aside and getting this thing done.

Although it is not a family project, that is what it will become.

All of us will groan as each of our children grinds their teeth and begrudgingly gets work done on this project. Heaven forbid that more than one teacher gives the dreaded vacation project; I think I will have a mutiny on my hands.

So again, thank you so very much for taking the “vacation” out of my Christmas.
Eileen Pratt
Simi Valley