Summer School

Before I went into eighth grade, I took a summer math course so that I would be better prepared for the following year. I don't recall whether that was my mom's idea or my own, but I took the class. The idea of taking summer courses in order to prepare for the next year's course is no longer popular; maybe it never was. Now, summer school is mostly used to make up for failed courses. Obviously, summer school can be very important for students who could not quite "get" a subject or for those students who want to get ahead. But, what about those students who deliberately fail their regular classes in order to take it in the summer where it is "easier"? Too many times I have heard this as an excuse to not try. As a teacher, it has become easy to differentiate between the students who are trying and those who are not. One quick way to tell if they tried is by looking at their grade percentages. When a student has a 17% in your class, they are not trying. If they have a 57%, they probably tried, but did not fully understand the material. What is my point? Sometimes I think we should do away with summer school altogether. However, the ones who would suffer would be those who tried but failed anyway and those who want to excel by taking courses ahead of their scheduled time.
Instead of getting rid of summer school completely, I think there should be some change regarding who we allow to take summer school. Let me explain before your head explodes. I don't mean to say that all those students who don't try can never redeem themselves. Instead, I suggest that they redeem themselves at night school in whatever adult education center their district has available to them. Why? Not only could this cut down on that lousy excuse to just take the easy way out in summer, but it could save money. The fewer students who take summer school, the fewer teachers needed to teach it, which means less expenditure at the district level. Summer school is an option for some teachers, and while some teach it every year, others avoid it in order to not get burned out on teaching. The fact that almost half of all teachers leave their job within the first five years says a lot about teaching as a profession. It is a hard job!
I suggest that the teachers of these students be consulted as to whether or not summer school is the right choice--much like teachers do when students want to take an honors class. Teachers know whether a student has been putting forth effort in their work, therefore, they should have a say. Imagine if that poor excuse could be taken away! Imagine how much their effort could grow!