Summer and Learning

Like most summers, this one has been as fast and furious, filled with activities, adventures, and new experiences. Throw in some different weather variables (looking at you, torrential rains) and the uniqueness of two graduating high school seniors, and it's easy to see why I look at the calendar today and notice it's already the end of July!

This got me thinking quite a bit about the upcoming school year. Well, that and the Back-to-School Sale advertising that started promptly after July 4th. Over the last 20-plus years in education, many parents and students have asked about what to do over the summer to either "keep up" or "make strides" before the next school year. 

For all these years, my answer has remained basically the same... live a full summer, experience as many things as you can, go have fun with your friends and find new adventures, be active, be curious, and read as often as you can, in as many different ways as you can. 

The last part I always tried to emphasize to kids and parents alike. I feel like a trap to fall into is thinking that 'reading over the summer' means constant novels and literary works. This can be intimidating for many kids who squirm at the thought of having to try and "get through" and big, thick book with lots of small print. There's certainly much to be said for these types of books, and sure enough many students devour them all summer long. That said, there's a lot of value in reading articles, game summaries, movie reviews, national park brochures, song lyrics, and so many other types of written work that can spark thinking and reflection. Whenever parents asked about improving their student's writing, I would often recommend encouraging them to write as OFTEN as possible, even if it wasn't long or complex writing every time. Writing their own movie/show review, or their own summary from the baseball game they went to the night before, or a personal narrative essay about their week at camp all give students a chance to exercise those muscles. 

Because kids can be exposed to so many experiences and events during a typical summer, I never fully believed in learning loss. We're designed to always be learning from our experiences, with our minds making connections. Instead, I would always think of it (and communicate when asked) as more of a 'how much learning' could be had over the summer...how much growth could be experienced. THIS is where consistent reading, writing, and reflection can really come into play in impacting many students' journeys.

 So, as we head into the final weeks of summer. Do not worry if you feel like you (or your student) hasn't been 'learning' enough so far. Use these weeks to make great memories, have fun adventures, get as much family time as possible, and positively encourage them (or yourself) to read, reflect, think, and maybe even write (old school or digitally) as often as they can heading into the new school year.