As a freshman, when I found out students had required summer work to complete, I initially felt less than enthusiastic. But, my original opinion has changed as my time in high school goes by.
Now, as an incoming junior, I realize just how important summer work is and how much it helps with retaining information you learned in the previous year and adjusting to the rigour of a new school year.
During the beginning of my sophomore year, I noticed that I often perused the notes I acquired from the previous year, especially when it came to math. During the short two months we have for summer break, I managed to forget nearly half of what I learned in the span of an entire year.
A way to combat potential forgetfulness that occurs when not visiting a subject for a period of time could be through providing more summer review material.
To clarify, I don’t mean piling dozens of assignments on us, but rather supplementing the work of the previous year by giving us optional review documents or one document in the format of a “cheat sheet” to study the important lessons we learned the year before.
By making the additional work optional, students who do not want the extra work or feel as if they do not need it are not required to complete it.
Students such as myself who went through a similar experience this past year, might find it beneficial to go over past material even if summer work is not specifically assigned, or take one of the 116 courses that the Summer Institute and Summer Online Program offer.
However, for those who cannot take a summer class or would rather review on their own, having extra review worksheets straight from our future teachers might make it more helpful to be sure of what information we need to really know before we start the actual course.
Summer work and additional review is important to get back on track in the upcoming school year. But, looking back on all that occurred this past year, it is understandable that students would want to take time for themselves to recover, especially from the struggles that came with digital learning and current events.
“This year has been really difficult for all students. After what we have all been through, I think it is really important for students to take a break from their computer screens,” Principal Mrs. Elise Blum said. “I hope students have some time to be outside, to enjoy time with family and friends, and maybe even to travel or have a summer job.”
It would be helpful to receive optional summer assignments right from our teachers, but if not, students can do their best to review past material on their own if they feel like they need to. Students should also, however, take this time to catch their breaths and take a well-deserved break from school.
