Many students undertake ambitious homework during the summer program. For many students having classes in the fall, they must attend and tackle assignments through their summer vacations. They are known as “Vacation Work,” many students have homework during the summer.
For many parents, this is a new concept. Most of them had assignment free summers. They used to spend their summers enjoying themselves without worrying about their school life. Summer to them was a time that didn’t have any structure, and one could be lazy all round and enjoy vacations with family and camps. They did not have to worry about science, math worksheets, and a list of books to read.
Some parents say that homework during the summer is just busywork. It steals the spontaneity and joy of summer. According to Sara Bennett, from stophomework.com, “During the school year, kids do not get enough time to relax through the school year. Summertime should be a downtime for the kids to enjoy.”
Vacation purists say kids need a lovely old-fashioned summer. Bennett tells parents not to allow packages sent to their kids during their summer vacation. If the school asks, the parent can say the kids didn’t get to it. It can be different if the summer assignment gets graded and can affect joining a top university.
Protecting the students’ mind from melting
Apart from summer assignments debate, some parents give their children more work during the summer that the teachers didn’t give them. They give them supplemental work, even when the children are not in school.
The parents operate with the notion that if the students don’t engage their minds during the summer vacation, the minds will melt. There is no objective data on this yet. But as Cooper says, when children continue to use their brain muscles during the summer, it will positively affect the things they can retain when they go back to school.
Regardless of their economic status, students lose two months of their mathematic abilities during the summer month. Low-income students fall behind on reading. If a teacher doesn’t give the students, these are some areas that the teachers can provide worksheets.
No buy-in from the kids
Denise Pope, a Stanford University senior lecturer, says that there is a lag. He agrees the summer vacation is long. Three months is a long time for students not to do anything. But with that said, he is not sure if giving the students assignments is a good idea.
Pope says that he has seen teachers overtime give loads of work, and it is more of systematic practice. The challenge with this is that it requires adult supervision. It becomes a burden not only to the kids but also to the parents.
Homework blues year-round
The homework dramas that students go through from September to June are now all year round. Pope says that another challenge with the summer homework is that it is usually put off until nearly the summer vacation before school begins. And once the assignment gets turned in, there is typically no feedback from the teachers, and it has no apparent effect on the children’s grades.
Conclusion
There is no conclusive study that can say that summer vacation should not have homework. But it is recommended so that the students at least don’t lag when they go back to school.