This is the pro argument on whether or not school work in the summer is beneficial.  To read the con click here.

The end of the school year marks the disappearance of stress, early mornings, and long days. The only thing left is that impending summer packet your teacher so rudely gave you on the last day before exams. Everyone hates doing them, but summer assignments are a great way to jumpstart the next school year.

Each year, weeks and weeks of class time are wasted as teachers review, and in many cases re-teach, material that was covered the previous year. Math classes especially struggle with this.  Students shouldn’t start learning actual geometry during October in their geometry class because they spent all of September reviewing algebra.

Summer assignments don’t need to be long or tedious. They shouldn’t burden students with hours and hours of homework to do on their summer vacation.  They should be just enough work to keep students thinking throughout the summer. They should be thorough enough to review material, but short enough that students aren’t plagued by them all summer long.

Another good summer assignment is summer reading. The school-wide books brings students in the school together, giving a variety of students something in common and establishing a sense of unity from the first day back.  Books for individual classes are also a great way to introduce students to the type of books and materials that will be covered in the course.

Students shouldn’t be tested on these books, but they should be used as a tool to keep students thinking while they are away from the classroom.  Summer work can be a pain, but ultimately it can benefit students by preparing them to get back to school, even if they are put off to the last minute.  Summer assignments shouldn’t stress students or load them down with work on their well-earned time off, but they do keep students thinking.

Bryan Doherty is an Opinion Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.