http://my.hsj.org/Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_uuuvio552by3a345wreq40yj_249f6a85-65b7-489f-b770-0ee9f7219f51_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:56:37 GMT 15 By Kathryn Cohen
A s exams wind down and the weather heats up, students are counting down the days until summer vacation. But wait! We’ve forgotten one important thing…   After weeks of preparation, and then a week of finals, teachers cheerfully tell us to "Have a nice summer," as they hand us a 10 page packet full of math problems or a list of 20 different titles to choose our reading assignments from-just the thing to ruin our summers: a number of assignments looming before us as we try to recover from 184 days of torture. While every student complains about being given a summer assignment, it is "understandable" why teachers give them. God forbid any of us forget how to read, write or add/subtract in the eight weeks we have off from school. But it is sweet of our teachers to be looking out for the well-being of our primary skills. It’s just unfortunate that all of their worrying is a waste. When it comes to summer assignments, students have getting these done down to a basic mathematical equation: spark notes + loads of BS = A. It’s no secret that these assignments aren’t checked for accuracy, so why should we bother putting in our 100%? Math is even easier to do: get together in a group, split up the problems, and then copy each other. At the most a math packet will take 30 minutes (and that’s if you’re doing it with the TV on). What are students actually learning over the summer by completing these summer assignments? Nothing. Students don’t put enough effort into them for the assignment to be worth anything. They’re a hassle for students to complete and a hassle for teachers to grade. So why bother with them? Many students are just too busy in the summer to have to deal with the nuisance of summer homework. When you’re going from activity to activity (some of which are academically based) the last thing on your mind is the mountain of work awaiting you at the end of the summer a week before school starts. For those who do nothing on purpose, summer is a time to relax, catch up with friends, and avoid any and all topics related to school. This summer, teachers, do us and yourselves a favor and "accidentally" forget to pass out the huge stack of brightly colored packets that will be sitting on your desk. (We will definitely thank you!) ]]> Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:57:01 GMT