With summer quickly approaching (thankfully!), students and parents may start thinking about whether summer school is appropriate. As we’ve covered before, summer school is not only for students who cannot keep up with their regular studies. Here, we’ll cover some of the more common reasons students choose to go to summer school.
1. They would like a lighter course load in the coming year. Some students choose to take a harder course over the summer so they can have more time to learn the material. This is especially true if it is not a subject you are very comfortable with. Completing a course over the summer can give students one period where they do not have a class (sometimes known as a spare), which can provide a nice break during the day (or you might even go home early!).
2. The course they would like is full. Some schools allow students to have a waitlist, but not all of them do. If the course is full, the student might see if they can take it over the summer, or next time it is offered, if they can fit it in.
3. The course they would like is not offered at their school. Some schools do not offer all courses that are available, especially if the course requires specialized equipment or knowledge (woodworking, metalworking, playing an instrument, etc.).
4. The course they would like is being offered at the same time as a mandatory course. Some schools, especially smaller ones, can only offer certain courses at certain times, depending on the availability of the teacher. If the course a student wants is only being taught at a time when they have a mandatory course, they might decide to take it over the summer.
5. The course is not offered within their program. Some programs have very strict schedules, and if students want to take other courses, they will need to find other arrangements.
6. Some schools do not have a qualified teacher to teach all subjects. Again, this is more likely to be in a smaller school, but if the student would like a course that the school is not able to offer, they might consider doing it over the summer.
Helpful Hint
You can discuss with your guidance counsellor whether summer school might be a good idea for you.
7. The student would like to keep busy over the summer. Some students do not like to spend too much time outside of the classroom, so they decide to take summer school.
8. Parents would like their children to be in school for a bit of the summer. While this is more often the case with younger children, some parents prefer to have their children supervised. While the student is in school, the parents can be at their job and will not have to worry about what their child is doing.
9. Some students like going to summer school. Here, they can meet new friends, have new teachers (since not all students’ and teachers’ styles are compatible).
10. Students can get higher marks in summer school. Since the courses are very short, students have less time to forget what they have learned. Some teachers will only test new material (until the exam) as there is no point in testing something that was tested earlier in the week/last week.
Though not an exhaustive list of reasons for students to take courses over the summer, it is a good starting point. Maybe you’ve even decided to go to summer school yourself. While summer school might seem like an interesting idea, we should also mention that students should take time to relax and forget about school for a while. This time away from school can greatly help students when they come back.
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