Is Summer Vacation a Good Thing?

This will be the second summer that I have worked a job straight through the summer.  I was very lucky growing up that I did not need to have a summer job.  In fact, almost every summer after I graduated from high school, I was involved in some sort of summer course through various colleges.

It has always helped me to have some sort of continuing structure to my summers, similar to what I had during the school year, whether I was a student or a teacher.  When I didn’t have something to do, my days became tedious and almost wasted, so for me, it was better to keep busy and mentally stimulated.

Studies of human development indicate that it is necessary for children to have a “break” from academics so that they can process what they have learned and get ready to learn new things.  Different studies contend that while breaks are necessary and good, perhaps long breaks, such as the two and a half to three months of summer vacation are in fact too long.  This is the stance of advocates of a year-round school model.

For students who attend Catholic schools, summer vacation might also mean a break from church.  Mr. Timothy Carr, principal at Cosgriff from 1993 to 1997, used to tell us at the end of the last school Mass of the year, “Don’t let this be the last time you’re in church until August.”  In other words, don’t take a vacation from God.

So yes, summer vacation is a good thing, but like all good things, you can have too much of it.  Be mindful of that when making your summer plans, and remember to keep God in your summer.