In high schools across the nation, summer homework is a contentious topic. Bellarmine is no exception, with new ideas and practices regarding summer work appearing every year. The question is, is it much-needed preparation, or just a waste of time?
When students were asked about how well they believed their summer homework prepared them for their coursework, responses varied. Senior Genevieve Davis said “I feel like for math specifically, doing summer homework makes me feel more prepared for the class, but other than that I feel like the summer reading only gives us something to start a conversation about.”
Others agreed. Senior Arshan Aref says that “the homework prepared [him] well for the course work… it was a nifty refresher for math.”
Another student, who asked to be left nameless, disagreed, saying “I didn’t feel [their summer homework] was necessary for success entering the class.”
Senior Sofia Estudillo brings up an interesting point, saying “none of what I’ve used for summer homework has been actually used in my classes today, but it really just helped me get in the groove rather than be prepared for an actual test I was going to have to do over anything.”
It seems that, despite summer homework being possibly non-essential, it is normally viewed as a good opportunity for students to prepare for class in some way.
In terms of relevancy to class content, summer homework seems to be lacking. Senior Eli Peairs said, “In a majority of my classes, we haven’t done any work whatsoever regarding the summer assignments.”
Senior Kylie Schneller said that “my classes discussed the summer homework,” but goes on to say that “in a few classes I felt like the summer homework was out of place and did not clearly connect to the topics being taught in class.”
Estudillo said, “My summer homework wasn’t really relevant in class…they had us read a book, and I enjoyed the book, I was looking forward to talking about it in class…but we haven’t picked up the book once.”
Davis said, “The summer homework was relatively talked about in the first week, but it’s kinda forgotten after like 2 days.”
Overall, it appears that students may be unsatisfied with their experience using the content they covered during the summer in their classes.
The amount of summer homework students receive is also a point of contention. Peairs said that “Everything that isn’t the summer reading can be done in a few hours with an iPad charger and will power, so yes, I’d say [it’s reasonable].”
Schneller, however, said, “I think the amount of summer homework I had was not reasonable as I had at least an hour, if not more, in the majority of my classes.”
Aref said that “I think the amount of summer homework was a little long… however, I trust the teachers who’ve had years of experience to know the right amount of work to give so that students can be set on the right track and be successful in the classroom.”
Students seem to be polarized about the amount of time necessary for summer homework, although most agree that it is ultimately doable.
Despite some of these opinions, almost all students who were interviewed believe that Bellarmine needs summer homework in some form. Estudillo, when asked if Bellarmine should continue assigning summer homework, said, “I want to say no, but in truth it’s probably a yes. We are a college prep school, so we want to hold our kids to a higher standard, and we want them fully prepared when going into the academic year.”
Davis agrees, saying, “I think for specific classes, Bellarmine should definitely continue to give summer homework.”
Senior Alfonzo Amaranto said, “Bellarmine should continue to give summer homework given the fact that, one, it’s not more than necessary, and two, it’s actually relevant to the coursework you do within the first couple of weeks.”
Another student, who asked to be left without a name, said, “ I don’t think [summer homework] is necessary for many classes, especially during summer break when it’s our time off.”
Overall, it is clear that summer homework, when executed correctly, can play an essential role in the learning and participation of students at Bellarmine. Peairs aptly states that “summer assignments, when done right, aren’t seen as nuisances. More than anything, the homework should revitalize your memory on the topic and make you excited for the class you signed up for.”
Summer homework is clearly something Bellarmine students have many opinions about, but overall, their comments highlight the school’s successes and failures on the matter.
