While summer marks the beginning of three months of rest and relaxation, one thing looms over students’ heads: summer assignments. Depending on the classes one takes, these can range from book analysis, to studying the first couple units in a textbook , to practice worksheets. This summer, I have to get through four books– two for English and two for a writing class– and five chapters of my AP Biology textbook. Usually, I don’t mind the work, since it gives me something to occupy my brain with and it makes the transition back to school easier; I especially appreciate it this summer since its difficult to find ways to fill my time.
If you’re the type of student to leave things last minute, I can see how summer assignments are stressful. Some of my friends are stuck reading half of a book and cramming for first-day tests at midnight before the first day of school, which is a terrible way to kick off the new year. One thing I disagree with is having assessments on the first day. It’s similar to having a test the first day back from winter break, but much much worse. Students aren’t acclimated to the teacher’s teaching style, nor the format of their tests, so they have no clue what to expect. There’s nothing more demoralizing then having a bad grade in the books first thing, and as a person who likes to make a good first impression, I always stress about getting a high score on teacher’s tests so they don’t think I’m a bad student.
Essays are my favorite way to kick off the year, honestly. I think it gives teachers a way to see where their students are at and learn about their writing style. We can use our skills we learned from last year and share our viewpoints and personality through writing, and there’s no studying required. I’m fortunate that the bulk of my work this summer is reading and writing, since those are some of my favorite things to do anyways. I’m currently annotating my way through John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. It’s a slow read, for sure, since I’m trying to follow a guideline of how to best annotate novels, but so far I enjoy the story.
Looking forward to coming back to campus in a couple months. See you guys next time!
