Konfused* of Kettwig

Dear Sirs

I'm a little bit confused, you see, I thought children went to school to learm stuff, get an education and such like, so that they could carry in the footsteps of their parents (looking after said parents, by getting good, well paid jobs, paying into pension schemes and NOT putting the much loved parents into 'old people's homes', but instead installing them in a granny** flat, that would of course (in Germany) be part of their own abode.

I thought (silly me) that school terms were when children learned stuff, had proper lessons, sitting at desks, homework etc. etc. - come on, if you can read this you've clearly had enough of an education to know how it works. And that there was a clearly delineated (see, I've had a proper education, me, I can use 5 syllable words - even if I do have to check their spelling) beginning and end to that period of learning.

Back in the day (inside joke, sorry) when I was at school (yeah, I hear you, it was a longggggggggggggggggggggg time ago) we had lessons from 9am till 3.45pm from the start of term till the very last (but one***) day - when we could bring in board games or in high school maybe the teachers relented slightly and we did "amusing" quizes.

But of course, that was in England, "cough" years ago (although, I don't think the teaching regime has changed that much over the last "cough" years) Here, in Germany, where I'm still reeling from the godammed stupid 'hitzeplan' we're being inflicted with just because the weather is being so terribly mediteranean, my high school son is taking all his text books back to school tomorrow, 8 school days before term ends...

HELLO?!

What the hell are they going to be doing at school for the next week and a half? That is of course in the 3 1/2 hours that they're actually in school at the moment...

He, of course, is filled with glee, no proper lessons for 8 "whole" days - ooh, make that 7 days as I've just remembered they have a day off (well 3 1/2 hours to be precise) next week so that the teachers can confer over the end of term reports, which I don't understand the reason for either, seeing as Ben seems to come home every day telling me the history teacher says he'll get this grade and the English teacher says this grade (it better be a 1 btw, or his allowance is being seriously reduced).
So, 7, 3 1/2 hour days with no text books, lots of education to be got methinks...not.

I'm confused, I thought we sent our children to school to get an education?


* Yeah, I know, but it looks better OK?
** Sexist, I know, but have you ever heard the term 'grampy flat'? Grumpy flat maybe, grampy flat, no.
*** Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, hence the brackets, sorry.