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Angelina Hahn

Mrs. Hietanen

English III Honors

15 October 2018

Starving Students of Summer

It is the last day of 8th grade. The familiar bell rings, and children pour out of the school

building. Students are all rushing home to begin their long-awaited summer vacation. Many will

go on much needed family getaways, and others will take summer courses or accelerated classes

to better themselves before school begins again. When the summer months finally end, students

buy shiny, new school supplies and excitedly prepare for the upcoming school year. While this

scenario is common among most children today, some are not this privileged. essential vacation

time. Giving students only two to four weeks to prepare for the year to come in unreasonable.

Children entering high school will need more time to schedule classes, acquire their bus routes,

and learn how to navigate the halls of their new learning environment. Also, all of the excitement

students have for summer vacation would disappear, and they would dread school more because

of it. If schools choose to force students to attend school more frequently in will only hurt them

instead of benefit them. Public schools should not have a full-year calendar so that students can

utilize the summer months to better themselves or prepare for the approaching year, and recover

from the stress of the previous school year.  

Despite what some administrators believe, students do not waste their summer vacations

on mindless television and sleep. Many students typically use their vacations to acquire creative

skills and complete accelerated courses so that they can improve themselves and adequately
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prepare themselves for the successful careers they would like to have when they are older. For

instance, a student who would like to become a dancer when he or she is old enough might take a

few dance intensives or training programs during the summer months so that they can improve.

Many of these programs are longer than two weeks and the chances of a program being

scheduled the same weeks as a shorter vacation are highly unlikely. Similarly, students who need

to take accelerated courses or repeat a course that they did not do well in will not have the time

to do so. Those students who need more help than others can, “attend school on the off days

since there are still teachers on campus” (Lynch). This will not be an option with shorter breaks.

Two weeks is not nearly long enough to complete a years worth of schooling, and it would just

take away more of a students time off. Also, many students have other responsibilities during

the summer that they can not commit to if they have school, such as, “​sports schedules,” and,

“​summer jobs” (“The Pros and Cons”). Some jobs do not accept applicants that will only work

for a few weeks at a time, and some students need these jobs to pay for everyday necessities.

Depriving students of a job or the chance to do something they love is detrimental to the students

life. Administrators should consider how the summer months could benefit students in other

fields rather than just be concerned with academics.

In addition, majority of students feel stressed or anxious during the school year and feel

that the summer is used as a break from the constant struggle of ordinary schooling. Many

students use this time to relax and mentally prepare themselves for the year to come. Students

can experience exhaustion, and because of this, “are less likely to achieve in their courses,”

(“The Impact”). If a student is always doing schoolwork, and is stressed about tests and projects

for a prolonged period of time, they can in fact become burned out, or feel too tired to continue
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performing well in school. Also, without the time for an occasional social event or family

vacation, some students might, “​miss out on time with their friends and come to resent school as

a result,” (Lynch). Constantly attending school without time for leisure, relaxation, and

socializing could cause unnecessary anxiety and stress for students. This constant worry, and

lack of social contact could be harmful to a students mental health. A longer break could combat

this and ensure a student is well-rested in time for the next school year. The students will

perform better in school if they are not exhausted from being in school all year round, and will

have a better state of mind if they have time to see their friends and family. The learning

atmosphere and school climate will become more positive and student friendly as a result.

Public schools should not issue a year-round schedule for the prosperity of the students.

If students are not given the opportunity to recuperate after a difficult year of learning, they we

start to resent school because of it. The constant influx of work will only put the students under

more pressure, and stress. They will not have time to enjoy themselves, or decompress after this

long, challenging period of learning. They will also not have time to partake in activities that

they adore, or need to participate in to improve themselves. Year-round schooling will only be

detrimental to a students learning, and overall well being. This schedule should not be

implemented if school systems care about their students.