Singing the Summer Blues

It’s about this time of year that the attention of our students begins to focus elsewhere. Spring is in full swing and the blooming flowers let them know that summer is just a month or so away. Summer vacation, almost three months of no school, is on their minds. And, the kids are thrilled.

By this time of year, there have been almost one hundred and fifty days of classes and everyone could use a break. Everyone in the school building is counting down the days. And it’s not only the students. Teachers and school administrators need to recharge. Anyone who has taught or administrated knows of the massive expenditure of focused energy that is needed on a daily basis in order to sustain the levels of excellence we strive to provide. Time away from the grind of teaching all day, every day, is a necessity.

Additionally, teachers and administrators alike need not only to recharge, but also to rethink. As a school principal I did my best thinking in the summer. The constant demands that the school day places on our time often forces us to focus on the immediate but ignore the important. During the school year, we must ensure that there are enough desks in the room; the summer break could allow us the time to assess whether we might enhance learning by changing the classroom chairs. While classes are is session, we are required to ensure that the curriculum is covered; the summer break allows us to assess whether the curriculum is of value.

That said, summer vacation is, for an educator, a bummer. Let’s get real. Does anyone really think that sending kids off to their homes for almost three months is a good idea? Does anyone even think it’s an OK idea? We all know the truth; it’s a terrible idea. Sure the summer camp industry loves it. And, how would we ever learn how to make those plastic lanyards – which, by the way, no one has ever figured out what function they serve – if not for summer camps? However, educationally, for many students the summer months are a disaster.

The significant problems caused by a summer without school are not isolated to inner city youth. Obviously, those who cannot afford the distractions offered by summer camps are thus sentenced to months of boredom, usually resulting in less than desirable behaviors. Those negative behaviors and harmful social associations continue to impact our children even after they return to class. But, even those who can avail themselves of supervised activity suffer from the inevitable damage caused by ten weeks devoid of structured learning.

Every teacher knows exactly what I’m talking about. Not only is the drop-off in skills alarming, the disruption of study habits can take weeks, if not months, to rectify. And yet, we the educators let this go on unabated as if three months off in the summer was an inalienable right, anchored in the Constitution or Bill of Rights. We need look no further than other countries in which the school breaks never last for longer than one month and are spread out more evenly over the course of the school year. We must seek change in a ridiculously outdated system or, at the very least, demand some continued education over the course of the summer. This may be the perfect opportunity for schools to experiment with online courses, requiring students to invest a significant amount of time availing themselves of the many educational resources found on the Internet. Remember, just because we’ve always done things a certain way doesn’t mean change is not essential. Curing the summer blues is a perfect example.

Share and Enjoy:

Shop School Furniture!

By Karmi Gross in Uncategorized on May 8, 2012

10 Comments

Rachel says:

May 15, 2012 at 7:31 pm

I agree that we need to stop using an ridiculously outdated system. That’s why I advocate homeschooling. Funny that you think 3 months of Summer ruins kids, when I see 9 months of compulsory schooling crushing kids’ souls. Homeschoolers have been distancing themselves from schools outdated mode of doing things for decades now. We are the ones who really shift educational paradigms. How about instead of bemoaning Summer break, you just encourage more families to homeschool? Because more school isn’t going to help anyone, except maybe psychiatrists.

Reply
- Karmi Gross says:
  
  May 17, 2012 at 6:32 am
  
  Much of what you say has merit. Home schooling however does not work for every family and has its own set of real challenges. If you have made it work for your children, all the power to you! For those for whom home schooling is simply not an option, we must find ways to significantly improve our systems and programs. Thanks for your comments.
  
  Reply
Chris says:

May 15, 2012 at 8:14 pm

Leave summer alone. It is a sacred time for everyone. Children, families, and yes, EVEN teachers. It’s a precious time of freedom from stress and time for nurturing closeness to nature and each other.

However, I’m not too surprised that a school furniture site would have such a post about summer. If you add a line of summer-use furniture, you might not have such a negative view of summer vacation, some added income during the summer months, and perhaps a new appreciation for this very sacred time of year.

Reply
- Karmi Gross says:
  
  May 17, 2012 at 6:32 am
  
  I most certainly agree that summer vacation should include time for family bonding and for individual interests that cannot be pursued during the school year. I also whole heartedly agree, as I wrote in the blog, that teachers need time to recharge their batteries after the grueling regiment of a school year.
  The intention of the posting was to point out the need for some continued education during the long summer months. That said, I would assume that you would agree that spending almost three months without any intellectual stimulation would not be considered a ‘sacred’ use of time, but rather a profound waste of human potential. As always, balancing the need for rest with the need for continued leaning is the challenge to be met. (As for summer-use furniture… I don’t think they sell couches.)
  
  Reply
  - Chris says:
    
    May 18, 2012 at 10:25 pm
    
    When I said summer furniture I meant picnic tables, or beach chairs, etc. But now that you mention it, couches wouldn’t be a bad thing in a classroom either.
    
    Reply
Dave Wolf says:

May 15, 2012 at 8:49 pm

== As a school principal I did my best thinking in the summer. ==

Why would this be any different for the students?

Reply
- Karmi Gross says:
  
  May 17, 2012 at 6:31 am
  
  Exactly true. So why waste all of it?
  
  Reply
  - Dave Wolf says:
    
    May 19, 2012 at 8:55 pm
    
    Thank you for taking the time to respond Karmi. I’m not sure I understand what you mean in your response though. If we both agree that children already do their best thinking in the summer, why would we want to change it? Wouldn’t we want to take what happens in the summer and do more of that through the school year?
    
    Reply
    - Karmi says:
      
      May 21, 2012 at 2:05 pm
      
      I guess the only difference between our opinions would be the need to assist children to focus on consturctive ways to use their time.
      
      Reply
      - Dave Wolf says:
        
        May 22, 2012 at 12:53 pm
        
        Fair enough. Maybe the degree to which we assist?