Summer break is for students to expand their education in ways the structure of school  does not allow

By Dee Lou

In today’s world of over-stimulation, prolonged relaxation is the equivalent of boredom. Students manage at least five courses, extra-curricular activities, and homework for 181 days out of the year. They are constantly being pushed to work, think and learn.
So when summer rolls around, and the stress of school disappears for three months, we take this as a sign to sit back and do absolutely nothing. And sure, doing nothing is fine for a day, a week at most, but after that, it becomes a routine of boredom. We are so used to juggling multiple activities that the sudden expanse of unfilled time puts our brains into a gigantic slump of inactivity.
As of now, with AP tests and finals draping a black shadow on free time, inactivity sounds pretty appealing. But after a couple days sitting on a couch watching reality T.V. shows, your brain, which is used to solving complex problems on a day to day basis, will turn into goo. Does three months of complete boredom sound appealing to anyone?
No.
Instead of giving your brain the opportunity to become a mushy pile of fried ketchup, accept the gift of the American educational system.
Summer is the gift; it is an opportunity to branch out from the required material the educational system requires you to learn, and spend time participating in something that might change your perspective on life. Using your summer “productively” does not necessarily mean enrolling in math classes and going to summer school. Being productive doesn’t mean putting more stress and pressure on yourself.
Productivity merely means engaging in something, anything, that generates positive action. Touring Europe learning about architecture is productive. So is learning to cook Jamaican cuisine, getting a job at the local ice cream place, taking a belly dancing class, visiting potential colleges, organizing a service project, writing in a not-so-secret journal, shadowing your local politician, learning ancient Greek, building a hovercraft, watching grass grow, charting the constellations, hiking the Appalachian Trail, developing a cure for cancer, etc. The label that productivity is being forced to learn or do something useful against your will is a misconception. A productive summer lets you do what you want; to veer off the beaten path and chase after a butterfly, if you choose to pursue Lepidopterology.
That’s what makes summer special. It’s completely customized to fit your every brain curve. School is extremely generalized, and it can’t provide you with everything you want to know. Summer, on the other hand, caters to the individual; there will always be a studio, internship, camp, project or class that specializes in “it,” whether “it” is tap dancing, neuroscience or anything in-between.
And you never know who you might meet during your productive summer. Participating in activities will allow you to meet more people with similar interests than sitting on a couch, all alone, with only the pixels that form the shape of a human body to keep you company. Don’t sit around watching potential opportunities pass by.
If you have to, create opportunities. On a family vacation to the beach, instead of laying on a towel increasing your chances for skin cancer, learn to surf or study the beach ecosystem. In the middle of nowhere, find a landmark and learn its history. While stuck at home, go on Wikipedia and absorb random trivia facts about starving artists. In case of no internet access, exercise your body by walking to the library, and your mind by reading these amazing things called books. The point is, if there is a will to be productive, there is a way to achieve productivity.
So don’t waste three precious months recuperating from the stress school has caused. Yes, rest is very important, but isn’t doing something enjoyable also relaxing? Not only will you have furthered your knowledge in something you enjoy, but you will be proud that you accomplished something and used your time wisely. As an added benefit, it will be easier to transition into the next school year because your brain was absorbing new information over the summer, not slowly melting out of your ears. And you can amaze your teachers on the vast store of general knowledge you acquired about the migratory patterns of the Monarch butterfly.
Knowledge is always valued, no matter the subject. Learning can be relaxing and incredibly interesting, depending upon the subject. Productivity is the act of learning knowledge. Relaxing for months on end, on the other hand, is an invitation for boredom to creep up and liquefy your brain.
We have conditioned our brains to be active, so take the gift of three months to volunteer, get a job, develop a new hobby and extend your (informal) education. Find something that inspires you and just be productive!

Students should bask in the summer sun and embrace this break as an amazing opportunity to do nothing

Bianca Vannucci
There is such a thing as philosophical laziness. The idea dates back to Socrates and Plato, who believed that free time could allow one to develop his or her own thoughts. In modern times, however, productivity is valued more than creativity.
In school you are given deadlines and due dates and the idea is that you will be able to come up with a finished product by a set date. Many teachers value your ability to turn in your work on time, which doesn’t really encourage you taking the time to think about what you are working on.
This is the structure of our school system, and it is unlikely that it will be changed any time soon. What matters is how you spend the free time you are given, for example, summer break.
Many summer programs available are structure similarly to a school day, and thus you can spend your summers they way you spend the rest of the year. These classes are deemed beneficial and productive. As productive as taking a break?
Good students, the ones who are likely candidates for productive summer programs, are pressured all year long. The reason you are offered for the chance to do something “meaningful” during the summer is because of the hard work you have put in during the year, and exactly the reason you should not be pushing yourself in the summer.
When is the last time you were able to start and finish a book you were interested in, not because it was assigned, but simply because you thought you could enjoy it? Your curriculum is meant to structure your reading, among other things, so that you may learn a few basic things you are supposed to learn, but at one time or another, you ought to be able to do what you enjoy.
Often times, it’s not the school system that stifles your summer, but rather the student inside of you. You feel that as if you must follow a set course and that you must do so as quickly as possible.
But there is no rush. There is nothing wrong with taking your time, getting off the path, doing what you like to do. Taking the summer to think about what you please. There is nothing shameful in sleeping late, lying by the pool, or hanging out with your friends. Basically, let your brain charge.
There is of course the argument that most teenagers left alone for a whole summer would wander onto unnecessary thoughts and activities. But shouldn’t you be allowed to see what you can come up with on your own? When you are allowed to take your time, and just “watch the clouds”, what can you come up with? Chances are nobody has ever allowed you to find out.
Some concerned parents or teachers might point out that since these are the years before college we should be getting all the experience we can get. This is certainly a valid argument, but is the school year not already doing that? You are being put on the right course all year, stray during the summer.
Especially because in a few years your lives will become that much more hectic it’s important to take the time now, while your brain is at the height of its development, to take care of your mental health. You got six hours of sleep per night for the last nine months. Take the chance to recover. Go outside and get some sun. Take care of yourself. Come September you will be glad.
I’m not encouraging a whole summer spent in your room complaining of boredom. After a stressful year, there will probably be a gradual change to emptier schedules.
But if you’ve been going to the same camp since you were little, don’t think that you have to stop now just because college is coming up. If at all possible don’t spend your whole summer working. Though there are apparent benefits to productivity, in the long run the mental benefits of taking some time off will show.
It’d be nice to find a sense of balance. To be able to slow down the pace, not to let yourself get caught up in programs to put on your transcript, but rather to take up a hobby. Travel, if you get the chance.
Having a lazy summer requires luck and support on your parents’ part, but if you have the opportunity, don’t turn it down. There’s many people who don’t have this opportunity; in a few years you probably won’t either. Take it now.
As you get older you’ll see how little time there is, and how important it is to take as much as of it as you need to grow at your own pace.