In most AP or honors courses, students are required to do summer homework. This can vary from reading assignments to completing packets.
“I think it’s beneficial if you are going into a higher level class. You need the extra boost for the summer to keep your mind refreshed for when you are going into class. It also helps the teachers to see what level you are at going in,” Sydney Batnick (12) said.
According to Harris Cooper from Duke University, doing work over the summer is beneficial to the brain. It also gives teachers a head start on the coursework they need to get through in a school year. At the same time, there is a limit to the amount of summer work that kids can take.
“I think that summer reading doesn’t help students with the material we will learn during the year like it’s suppose to. Students are expected to remember intricate plotlines from books we haven’t looked at in a few weeks and then are tested over them at the beginning of the year and never talk about the books again,” Katelyn Macknyk (11) said.
Some students procrastinate and wait until the last days of summer and cram in their work leading to more stress and problems.
“[My most stressful summer homework was] when we had to read three books per summer for advanced English courses and the AP United States History was too,” Batnick said.
AP English 11 requires students to read three books, write and essay. For AP Biology, students have to complete a packet. The amount of summer work varies on what class you will be taking.
“Summer reading is something that helps the brain, but at the same time I don’t think we should have this much work. The abundant amount of work takes time out of the real point of summer, to relax and have fun not stressing about school,” Mark Mileusnic (9) said.
