As if it wasn’t enough to have our finals on the last week of school, most of us also have our summers cluttered with school work (ahem, summer reading for English), SAT Prep, summer school, summer classes/workshops, and/or jobs. It often feels like the vacation part of summer is literally “melting” away and the little that is left is unenjoyable due to the thought of the new school year looming ahead.
It all sounds pretty sad at first, but what most people don’t realize is that while we might despise summer reading or waking up at 7:00 a.m. just to go to summer school while everyone else sleeps in, our summer work gives us something to do. While some of us do go on vacation, a lot of us spend our summer at home. Think about it: if we didn’t have to do those Cornell notes to do for English, we’d probably sit around the house, watch television, and/or be a couch potato for the most part. The first few weeks of summer will be fun and exciting, but that’ll soon wear away into boredom.
Doing summer work for school also keeps our minds working so that when you go back to school, you’re not totally brain dead. It’s a natural fact that if we don’t practice something for a while, we tend to forget. For example, if we don’t receive that dreaded Pre-Cal summer review PAK, we’d probably forget all of our simple math concepts. The same goes for all other classes. Granted that the typical student might rush their summer work at the last minute to get a grade, they would still at least get an idea of what they might expect for their classes next year.
As far has having a summer job goes, it also helps everyone be productive. Having a job can reinforce the idea of a working on a schedule so that when you come back to school, it’s not much of a change. You’ll be able to adapt to waking up early and following the bell schedule much easier. And the most important part: you get paid!
Taking summer classes or workshops also helps one to tap into his or her creative side, whether it’s getting an internship at a research facility or taking an art class. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be boring; it can actually be a fun way to learn something that you’ve always wanted to know. Maybe certain science, engineering and math workshops can teach you the fun side of what used to seem like useless, boring equations and calculations (like a Rube Goldberg machine!).
So, maybe there is an upside to waking at 7:00 a.m. to go to summer school or to work. And while it doesn’t seem like the “vacation” we had in mind, it can keep you busy — in a good way.
