10 Ways to Encourage Summer Reading
Many parents are confronted with the questions: Should I send my teen to summer school? Is summer school worth it for my teen? Here are a few reasons and benefits of summer school that you might consider before enrollment:
- Expectations of a course have not been fulfilled during the school year.
- Getting ahead to create room for other courses during the school year.
- Summer school for athletes to lighten the course load.
- Freeing up time for a spare during the school year.
- Focusing on just one course versus many can help with the learning
Deciding whether or not to enroll your child in summer school requires weighing many factors. The following is a guide to help you make the best decision.
Is Your Teenager Motivated and Willing to attend Summer School?
When summer school is a requirement rather than a choice, students may become resentful of attending, tuning out and refusing to do the work required. Negative experiences such as these can hinder academic success in the course and in subsequent years. It’s important to consider whether your child needs a substantial break from school and the implications for their health and wellbeing. Perhaps the school year was hard on your teenager emotionally and/or mentally and they need to take the summer to switch gears, rest and restore. Often, what young people need is a break from the requirements of school and the rigidity of routine to play, explore their interests, rest, and come back energized and ready in September.
Pace and Learning Style:
Summer school is an entire course packed into just a few weeks. The days are typically 5 hours or more learning one subject in a hot classroom with a full complement of students. The length and pace can be challenging, especially for math and science students. If a concept is not fully understood at the beginning of the week, by Friday your teen will be feeling very behind as the learning is cumulative. When the course is taught at a quick pace and the material is not taught in depth, only a surface level of understanding may be gained. Even if your teen passes the course during the summer, they may not fully grasp the material and the following year will require additional support impacting future options and their path to University.
Summer School Options
There are other ways to earn a high school credit in Ontario that do not require attending in class summer school. The school boards in Ontario offer virtual high school credits that allow students to work at their own pace which can be taken over the course of the entire summer (July and August) or even longer. Some private schools and programs offer credit recovery programs in the summer if you failed a course and there are many private programs that offer credits for students who want to fast track. These are good options that tend to be more flexible, individualized or with smaller class sizes..
Seeking Help from the school Guidance Counsellor
Speak to a guidance counsellor about your options especially if a course has to be retaken. They are a wealth of knowledge about the system and will spend the time understanding your teens’ learning issues. The school wants your child to graduate and they will find a way to help. There are various ways to make up a course and they can offer shortened credit recovery courses and sometimes will even allow a student to do a take home assignment to get the credit if they are already very close to passing.
So you might be thinking how can I motivate my teen for summer school?
One of the best ways to do this is to consider hiring a tutor to help your teen succeed. Think of this as your teens guide and mentor. A tutor can:
- Explain the benefits to your teen by looking at the bigger picture.
- Re-teach material, break down lessons and consolidate learning.
- Stay on track with assignments and help study for tests and exams.
- Act as a mentor and help reduce stress for your teen and the entire family.
Concluding Thoughts:
Summer school is a good choice if a child is eager and willing to attend, if they would benefit from the continued structure of school, or if they need to catch up and avoid repeating the course and subject material the following school year. Summer school also helps students get ahead and lighten their load the following school year, which may be of particular importance if your child is involved in extracurricular activities that often take them out of class. A tutor can help your teen stay on track and reduce family stress as the summer school program can be very demanding and covers a lot in a short time frame.
Watch for our next blog which will cover “How to Avoid Summer Learning Loss” where we discuss alternatives to summer school and ways to promote learning during the summer months for your teens and younger children.
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