Since the beginning of school in September, students have been patiently waiting for their summer break to arrive.  It’s finally time to sit back, relax, and forget about school. Or is it?  

Lately, the trend of teachers assigning work over summer break has been on the rise. It may be a small assignment, such as reading one book or completing a math packet, but it is still something that forces students to take time away from their vacation in order to complete.  

Certain classes are even required to assign more rigorous homework over summer break.  AP Environmental Science students must annotate a book over the summer and take an exam on the same book on the first day of school.  Students planning on taking AP Studio Art have to answer questions after watching a video, in addition to completing multiple sketches and creating a portrait.  Before taking AP Literature, students must read two books, Beowulf and The Handmaid’s Tale, before the start of school. 

Summer is the time for students to relax their minds and take a break.  Instead, teachers are taking away from this precious relaxation time by assigning homework over the summer months.  While teachers are free from grading papers and assignments, their students continue to suffer the consequences of homework.

“Having to read a summer reading book over my break is so unfair.  The teachers don’t have to read essays over their summer vacation, why do I have to read a book,” said sophomore Jamie Ambos.

Teachers expect students to put their vacations on pause to do work during their only time to actually be kids. They argue that students need homework over the summer to keep their minds fresh, but they don’t realize what commitments students make for their summers.

Many Schreiber students spend their summers working at local businesses to support our town and make money.  With hectic work schedules, they have enough on their plate without having to worry about completing assignments for school.  

“I have a full time job over the summer and I still want to have a social life, and doing a math packet is just not a part of my agenda,” said sophomore Abby Weinstein.

Some people choose to take courses over the summer. Those individuals that are attending summer programs to learn more are already using their brains, so they should not be assigned extra work intended for the students who do not.

“I’m going to Georgetown for two weeks this summer to take classes, my brain is not rotting over break and I shouldn’t be punished for the students who chose to do nothing over their vacation,” said sophomore Lucy Jarach.  

If the purpose of summer assignments is to retain information over the summer, why do students who continue their education over the summer have to do this as well?  

In addition to working and attending college programs, some students start studying for the ACT and SAT tests during summer recess.  These students are putting in maximum effort to achieve high scores on these tests.  It is not fair of teachers to ask them to do homework along with studying for such an important test.

“I’m starting my ACT prep over the summer, and between that and work I’m not going to have much time for anything else,” said sophomore Emily Edwards.

Contrary to teachers’ beliefs, many students work extremely diligently over summer break and do not waste their vacation away.  Due to other commitments, such as work, summer programs, and ACT/SAT studying, students are busy enough over the summer and should not be expected to complete extra work.