Keep calm, it’s summer vacation. But what if there is no summer vacation?
Here’s something to think about. Summer break has to go. Now, before you begin to spew profanity and attempt to knock my face in, think about it. What do you do over the summer? Don’t lie to yourself, you know as well as I do that a majority of time is spent doing pretty much nothing. While there are active and engaged youth (Youth Central anyone?) the majority of kids choose to spend their time vegetating on the couch. There was an article published last year in the Globe and Mail which discussed the advantages and disadvantages of having a summer break. Don’t get me wrong, I adore summer break, who doesn’t? But, I can also say that the negative consequences of summer far outweigh the positive. Pretty much everyone who doesn’t go to summer school experiences what I like to call “summer amnesia.” We forget absolutely everything we learned before summer and upon arriving back in September are absolutely lost for the first month or so. Frankly, I find it really sad when teachers spend the first three units of the year reviewing things we learned last year.
Canada used to one of the undisputed leaders in education around the world. While we still retain a top spot, many other countries are catching up to us including China, Finland, South Korea and France. Before I give my reasons as to why summer break is unhealthy for our youth, I want to provide some background on where summer break originated. Most people have a misconception of summer break being established due to the fact that kids needed to work on farms during the summer. However, summer break was actually conceived during the industrial era, along with the rise of the middle class. Summers were hot, humid and uncomfortable and without air conditioning absence rates skyrocketed. Parents now also had the money to take vacations and wanted to take advantage of the summer for a family trip. Instead of attempting to force students to come to school, education boards simply decided to establish a break through the summer months. It soon became a tradition, albeit not being a very good one. The Canadian Council on Learning conducted a survey which showed that all kids experience loss of data over summer. The break is especially hard on lower-income students as they are not able to access expensive enrichment programs or educational summer camps. Due to this, many advocates including President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have called for longer hours in schools. Britain meanwhile, has already proposed extended school hours with school days starting at 8:45 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. to mirror typical office hours.
But, as with any debate, there is another side of the argument. Many people are also calling for the retention of summer break, including mother Anne MacDonald who says, “I like the two-month break. It’s a time for us to regroup because the year is so busy.” Parents also argue that summer does not stop education, but merely provides different types of education or just a much-needed break for students’ over-worked brains. Many teachers are also against the proposed removal of the break. In an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2012, previous president of the B.C. teacher’s federation Susan Lambert explained why summer break is an essential break for teachers: ” I can tell you that teachers need their summer break. It’s a very intense profession, where you are teaching for five hours a day, and then doing preparation and marking and evaluation.” A school system in Langley proposed a non-traditional calender which included either two three-week breaks in winter and spring or a calender with three months of school, with one month off. Neither passed a majority vote.
While I do think summer break is too long and causes more harm than it helps, I am not a supporter of something as ridiculous and extreme as a 365 day school year. As a student I know how much stress and pressure school causes, however I also know how hard it is to recover from two months moving at a much slower pace than the school year. In my opinion, something like the Langley school system’s proposed calender, which redistributes the break time at even intervals throughout the year, makes the most sense. It provides the rest that we, along with the teachers, require, while also ensuring we are learning at the most efficient pace. That’s only my opinion though, what do you think about the proposed removal of summer break? You can read the Globe and Mail article here and an additional PDF here before you make a decision. To summer break or not to summer break, that is the question. Leave your opinions in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear what you all think.
References:
http://www.fortheteachers.org/Reading_Resources/Is_Summer_Break_Necessary_1.pdf
