The Point of Summer Work
From 5th grade to 12th, almost everyone has schoolwork to do over the summer. But is there even a point?
While some may be traveling and others working, no one would say that they don’t enjoy having a few months off of school – until it comes to summer work. It is almost as though students never truly get a break from the constant juggling of homework and a social life. Though the workload depends on what classes are being taken, it can be hard for students to see these summer assignments as anything except torment, especially when, oftentimes, so little of the actual class is devoted to discussing it. So, the question is: are teachers actually thinking about what they assign or do they just enjoy punishing us?
When speaking to students, parents, and teachers, it seems there is a major disconnect over why summer work is necessary. While students tend to see it as a good idea with horrible execution and parents see it as an interruption to the limited time they have with their kids, the teachers revealed that there may really be a point to the so-called “torture.”
First, students at different schools reveal a clear line of thought surrounding summer work. Dylan Reiser, a senior at Galloway, states, “If it is part of the curriculum of the class, like in AP Calculus BC, then it makes sense to get ahead. But, if it’s just supplemental, it can be overwhelming, especially with a lot of classes assigning work.” Another Galloway senior, Hannah Hamilton, seems to hold a similar view: “The only summer work and homework I find to be useful is for topics that require practice, like languages and math, because you can lose those skills. Otherwise, I think it’s just busy work.” Galloway junior, Spencer Orthwein, offers up an attempted explanation, saying, “I think the idea is to retain skills over the summer, but there is no way to enforce doing the work consistently over the summer, so why do it at all?” This opinion is clearly spread throughout the high school population, as multiple seniors at Midtown High School claim they only do the work if it becomes evident in class that they have not done it.
Meanwhile, parents are up in arms at the idea that their free time with their kids is being interrupted. One anonymous parent states, “We pay during the year for our kids to go to school to learn, [so] leave it to us to teach them important lessons over the summer when we have them.” Others claim that summer work is “just an argument waiting to happen” because their kids don’t want to do the work, and as parents, they want their children to start the year off on the right foot.
Evidently, students and their parents aren’t seeing the reasoning behind summer work. Teachers, however, say the work supports in-school learning. Lordserious Watson, a math and physics teacher at Galloway, says, “I want students to come in with the foundation they need for the course. In previous years, students started in very different places and it was necessary to spend time bringing everyone to the same level.” Elizabeth Sanders, a science teacher at Galloway, agrees, saying, “There are simply too few days to cover everything, especially in advanced classes. You need to be able to hit the ground running to be able to get through the whole curriculum.” She also brings up that “there is evidence that year-round school is better for learning” which demonstrates a need for continued learning even when on break.
Chelsea Larson, Galloway’s Upper Learning librarian, sums it up perfectly, stating, “I think they assign it because they feel like they have to.” Even if summer work is truly necessary to provide a foundation for improved learning, it is clear that nobody – parents, students, and teachers alike – find it to be a fun summer activity. So maybe there is a point, but there certainly is no enjoyment derived from it by anyone.
By Samantha Weiner