The question of best practices in education always has been, and likely always be, quite a challenging one. There are a thousand different ways to approach the task of teaching children, and we can the evidence of that throughout all the states of the Union and all the countries of the world.

However, through all of this controversy, and all these varied viewpoints that have caused no end of arguments among thinking people the world over, there is at least one statement about schooling that nearly everyone can agree on. Kids enjoy a nice break every so often, and they probably need it.

Summer vacation is a part of our culture, and a vitally important part of the school year. It is a goal for children to work toward throughout the whole year, and the summer itself is a time for kids to develop aspects of themselves that don\’t develop in school. Kids have time to play outside with each other, to go to camps and pursue interests that are not addressed in the classroom. During the summer, kids can make the memories that they will take with them throughout the rest of their adult lives. It may never help them land a job or make money, but it is a vital part of the human experience.

So, it should be no surprise that there are quite a lot of people who are unhappy with the idea of summer assignments. Summer assignments can come in many forms. Perhaps the simplest, and least practical one, is the homework assignment given on the last day of school. Grades are already in and reports cards are out (or on their way out), and the teachers gives an assignment which is to be mailed to the teacher\’s home address and then reviewed.

Another type of assignment is the over the summer project. In this situation, a teacher that the student will have the next year gives an assignment, usually to research and write a paper, at the beginning of summer. The students are to take care of the project during the summer, and have it ready to turn in at the beginning of the next school year.

In this situation, the student comes into class primed and ready for the year\’s teaching, already having read some of the relevant material and composed a paper on the subject.

There are reasons why some people think this policy is a good idea. Many people believe that students forget what they learned over the course of the year during the summer, or that their skills become dull without practice. They argue that students needs assignments to stay sharp and in practice. However, there is no better way to burn out than to work nonstop until you just can not handle it anymore.

Time off, like the time off students get in the summer, is one hundred percent necessary for those students\’ success and happiness, in the professional and personal aspects of their lives. We must not lose sight of that when we create academic policies.

Author Bio: Diana Washington writes on various topics connected to education, with particular attention paid to teaching, preparing for standardized tests, and LSAT Prep, a significant concern for thousands of students hoping to go to law school. She is a staff writer for the Test Prep Blog Testing Is Easy.

Category: Education
Keywords: summer reading,school,high school,education,literature,vacation