Why do we have summer vacation?

Answer 1

They were harvest time on the family farm. They were time off from school but hardly a vacation.

Children, who were an important part of the family work force, were needed to pick the peaches or strawberries as well as do many other household chores.

Once the family farm dissolved and the government passed regulations against child labor, the schools never changed and just shut down during the summer.

Now educators are asking what price we pay for not educating children during the summer.

On a flight from Washington to San Francisco, years ago, this writer was seated next to one of the heads of the country's education programs.

She said the brain drain during the summer months was the greatest cause for this country's inability to keep up with the rest of the world in terms of education. It seemed hard to believe at the time.

But a recent Time magazine written by David Von Drehle emphasized the point. The article called "The Case Against Summer Vacation" stated "It's an outdated legacy of the farm economy. Adults still romanticize it, but those months out of school do the most damage to kids who can least afford it."

"By ninth grade, summer learning loss could be blamed for roughly two-thirds of the achievement gap separating income groups," as well as gaps between this country and the other leading countries in the world.

The article continues by stating the loss is not equal to all income groups. More affluent members of our society can afford to take their children on field trips, however with children of low-income families, summer is a season of boredom, inactivity and isolation. Kids can't go exploring if their neighborhood isn't safe.

This hits home when we look at our community and recent shootings which have taken place for little more than wearing the wrong color shirt.

Many communities have combated this problem with summer learning programs like the six week SuperKids camp which boosts reading skills and at the same time gives the kids sailboat rides and trips to the zoo.

Ron Fairchld the CEO of National Summer Learning Association, said we don't want to become "the Grinch that stole summer vacation." His organization seeks to find ways to make learning a part of summer vacation.

There is even a web site called "Beating the Summer Doldrums" or time.com/summer.

Today, so many things have been cut out of the normal class schedule; the arts and music. The summer is a great time to bring them back. It is also a time for the slow readers and those who have difficulty in math to catch up.

It need not be a "dreaded summer school" it can be an exciting summer, with the right kind of instruction.