If your child is in summer school, chances are they feel pretty darn bad about the whole thing. While other kids are enjoying sleeping in and spending lazy days pool side, your child is stuck in a classroom. Most kids who attend schools sanctioned summer schools are there because of test scores or problems during their previous year of school. However, other summer schools provide an excellent opportunity for your child to get ahead and at least keep up their skills.
The push for year round school is based on the research that children do better in a learning environment that is consistent. Rather than take a 3-month reprieve from education, school systems are giving 1-2 weeks breaks throughout the school year. The goal is to hopefully have students that do not need to review and play catch up when school commences each Labor Day. Many teachers admit that the first three weeks of each school year is really about review and reacquainting children with study habits and skilled that may not have been tapped during summer vacation. For this reason, summer school is not such a bad idea, especially if you live in an area where children get up to 3 months off for the summer.
It is important to know your child’s academic abilities. If your child generally struggles in one subject or many, you will do them a great favor by enrolling them in summer school. Not only will they have smaller class sizes, but they will also be able to hone their skills academically and come out of the session with more confidence. This confidence can build from year to year. Additionally, summer school is shorter, more to the point and often doesn’t involve a host of social pressure from numerous peers in their routine social circle. This equates to your child having a stress free, personal and empowering environment with which to learn at their personal level. Whether you choose larger summer school groups or a personal tutor is completely up to the parent. However, if you see your child struggling or beginning to have problems – it is easier to help them during summer school than during the school year when they are overwhelmed with an 8-hour day of educational stimulation.
If your child is mandated to attend summer school based on performance, take heart. While it may be inconvenient and make your child feel inferior – it is largely your attitude that will decide its success. Kids learn at varied paces and even the smartest of children, may struggle in certain areas during the school year. These summer school sessions are normally very direct and take specific areas of concern to target your child’s needs in a much more personal matter than the regular school year. Rather than allow your child to take on an attitude of dread, try to get them to see the bright side of the situation. If you are in a situation where summer school is the difference between passing and failing a grade, you may want to take a deeper look at your child’s achievement. Many kids, held back just one year – flourish. Perhaps they just aren’t as mature as the other kids are or maybe there was an emotional situation during the school year that took a toll on your child. This doesn’t mean your kid is dumb and often the role of successful parenting is tending to your child’s needs above the pressures from the outside world. There are many kids in school who given the advantage of one extra year will begin to see themselves as a leader rather than the child who is constantly suffering.
While the debate for year round school will likely continue, summer school is actually a good idea for all students. For many children who struggle with the fast-paced mechanisms of math – taking a refresher course over the summer can improve their grades for the entire next year. Additionally, finding a tutor or summer school program that is familiar with your school district’s curriculum can give them a boost on some of the more difficult concepts that they will be learning the next year. If you have a choice of summer schools – then try to find a program with instructors that are well qualified and that resonate personal qualities your child can identify with. Find teachers or summer school classes that may use more hand on approaches to learning, or that are designed to meet kids who have special needs. If you check with local colleges, you will also find that there are plenty of academic programs posing under the titles of summer school – that are really enrichment classes. If your child has a particular interest in science or math – a summer class can be a perfect way to build upon it.
Summer school today, has come a long way from what it used to be a decade ago. Today, summer school is meant to help children in ways that the regular school year cannot. With the vast amount of global competition academically and the new and stringent levels of standardized testing, parents have the utmost responsibility to guarantee that their child has the edge they need to succeed. By empowering them with opportunity, a challenge and helping them to be confident in school – summer school can be turning point for your child’s educational success.
