Do we fail students in June for what those who passed will forget by September?
“Can American students afford to take a summer vacation? This summer, 50 million kids will spend valuable time instant messaging, watching TV, playing video games and nagging older siblings to take them to the mall. They will also be putting their academic futures at risk.” -Frederick M. Hess
The rest of the article is here, at Time For Kids.
Hess is rather dramatic - “…putting their academic futures at risk,” and I wonder about the way I once spent my summers - generally with either a book in my hands or a new project or adventure underway. Personally, I suspect many students learn as much, if not more, from summer adventures, family trips, summer jobs, or even wandering through their backyards, as they would from an extra few weeks of studying.
What do you think? Is summer too long? Should there be more, shorter vacations year-round? Do summer activities provide places for students to use the knowledge they gained during the year, or are they just a waste of time?
June 21st, 2007 at 10:54 am
I think kids need summer to refresh, regroup, and simply play.
Time to use their imaginations and simply play is something that many children are lacking these days, and it’s just as important in the development of a child as “academics”. I think kids need time with family, and with friends. They need time to be kids.
So many kids’ summers are packed with summer camps and sports and other scheduled events (read “The Overscheduled Child: Avoid the Hyper-Parenting Trap” at http://www.connectforkids.org/node/296), that any “down time” they can have to simply use their imaginations and explore and find adventures should be highly protected.
As far as replacing summer vacation with more shorter vacations throughout the school year - one issue I could see with that is that many kids have a hard time transitioning back to school after each of the school-year vacations that we already have. To increase the number of those week-long breaks throughout the school year would do no more than disrupt the learning process, especially for those hard-to-transition students, who end up missing academic time while trying to re-acclimate to the classroom. Why increase the disruptions throughout the school year?
For many kids, summer break provides an opportunity to put the past year behind them, and look forward to a fresh, new beginning in the fall… with a lot of precious time to enjoy life as a kid in between. I would hate to see that taken away from children.
Maribeth
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Maribeth Bush
School Counselor
June 21st, 2007 at 11:09 am
@Maribeth
In response to: “As far as replacing summer vacation with more shorter vacations throughout the school year - one issue I could see with that is that many kids have a hard time transitioning back to school after each of the school-year vacations that we already have.”
I see what you mean, but this makes me curious - why do the kids have such a difficult time transitioning? Do you have suggestions on what helps students adjust back into the school routine? Many teachers complain about the amount of review they need to do in the fall - do you find just as much is needed after a week-long vacation?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:50 am
Hi, Marli…
In response to: “I see what you mean, but this makes me curious - why do the kids have such a difficult time transitioning? Do you have suggestions on what helps students adjust back into the school routine? Many teachers complain about the amount of review they need to do in the fall - do you find just as much is needed after a week-long vacation?”
Keep in mind that I said “some kids” have a difficult time transitioning back, not all kids. And for those kids, I think it’s often a personality difference. As we all know here in the NS community, all children are unique, and some have personalities that make it hard from them to separate from their parents, and from “life at home”. Kids who have a hard time transitioning back to school after week-long break (or often even a long weekend) most often simply get used to the comfort of home and being with mom and/or dad. However, usually after they’ve made it through the classroom door and the parents leave, the kids refocus on school and they’re fine for the rest of the day. This can go on for several mornings though, and depending on the child (and parent) getting them through the classroom door can sometimes take the first 30-60 minutes of the school day.
Regarding review time: No, I don’t feel there’s as much review needed after a week-long vacation. However, I work in a public elementary school and personally have never heard a teacher complain about the amount of time needed in the fall for review. Maybe the teachers in my school don’t need to review as much as other schools, or maybe they consider it part of the learning process, and expect it, and understand it’s a trade-off for kids (and teachers) for having the summer off.
Oh, I should add, our school district does offer “Summer Academy”, which is basically summer school for two weeks in August before the school year starts. This is optional and is offered to students (via their parents) who teachers feel might need more instruction and “review” after the summer break, so that they’re up to speed for the start of the school year. Students only attend “Summer Academy” in the mornings for those two weeks, and I don’t think it’s even every day during those two weeks. Perhaps this is why our teachers don’t complain in the fall about how much they need to review.
I can’t imagine the teachers in my district ever being happy about giving up summer vacation. Educators need the break as much as students do - and need the time to spend with their own families, their own children. I think it’s one reason we do have such outstanding educators who continue to love what they do (and so much of what they do for children is way above and beyond their job discriptions), and stick with it for so long.
Maribeth
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:57 am
Hi Maribeth,
Summer Academy sounds fantastic - I wonder why more schools don’t do that! I’m sure that helps a lot with fall review.
@other reader - how do your schools handle fall review time?