In June, when the last bell rang, releasing students to go home, many students ran for the door and didn’t look back because the only thing on their minds was a two-month break filled with partying, hanging out with friends, and sleeping until 2 in the afternoon. Days, weeks and months, passed with school rapidly approaching once again but, still summer is the time to relax. And then it hits…you haven’t done your summer reading yet.

According to the MCPS website, “summer reading is one way to help students develop their literacy skills, broaden their interests, and extend their background knowledge.” For schools in Montgomery County, MCPS has no specific requirements, as the county allows each school to be responsible for creating its own summer reading assignments.

 “Teachers get a directive from our supervisors in Rockville and they give us guidelines. Once we have guidelines, teachers must decide what will help with curriculum. We also want something that students can give their opinions on. We try to give them choice,” states English Resource Teacher Ms. Pettigrew. While summer reading is required by MCPS, it is also strongly encouraged by other places, such as public libraries, which, to the best of their ability, make sure that the books on the reading lists are available to the students who need them.

             As students progress in school and in their level of study, the difficulty of the assignments given to them get increasingly more challenging. Not only does this apply to work in school but also the work that is required outside of school. In many places, the idea of the summer reading assignment begins in 5th grade, depending on the school, according to Ms. Pettigrew, and continues until 12^th grade. For example, at Paint Branch, the incoming 9th and 10^th grade students must read one book, if entering on-level English, or two, for honors, and fill out novel cards for the books they have read, and a list of books. For 11^th grade students, their assignment is to read two autobiographies or memoirs and complete double-entry journals for both. If students do not choose to take 11^th grade English, they are also offered AP Language and Composition, which carries an assignment for these students that is more strenuous and challenging, as students read one nonfiction book, complete a SOAPSTONE, which is a reflection on the book, and complete an “Issues Project,” which is a project that lasts over a seven-week period, requiring students to gather two news articles and one opinion each week for seven weeks. While the work can be arduous for some people, Mrs. Pettigrew believes it’s for their own good, saying that it helps to keep students’ “brains working over the summer.” A few years ago, the reading scores for Paint Branch students showed they needed more practice with reading and that is what summer reading helps with, she also adds.

Often questions such as, “What’s the point?” or “Is it going to help me in the future?” are asked regarding summer reading. Some PBHS students and teachers think it’s just too much work. “I think it is important for students to always read. However, I don’t necessarily see the point of the assignment part. It takes away from the pleasure of reading,” states Mrs. Greene, who teaches 11^th and 12^th grade English. Junior Allison Heuber, who is taking AP Language, agrees: “I think they go over the top and give us busy work. They probably think our brains will rot over the summer.”

One way to combat the issue of summer reading is to get it done early. If you finish earlier in the summer, the rest of the summer is yours!