What's the point of summer assignments?

Question

What's the point of summer assignments?

Answer 1

To ruin your last few weeks of summer leading up to school.  They all say, "it's so that you continue to stimulate and exercise your brain over the entire summer" but almost everyone does their summer reading assignments at the very end of summer, meaning they're not getting the "brain exercise and stimulation" throughout the entire summer.  Plus, they give out a ridiculous load.  I've been given (this is no exaggeration) at least 35 hours of work this summer to do but I would guess it's even more.  

Answer 2

To prepare you for the type of work ahead.

Answer 3

Look at it this way...if you are used to working out and your body is cut and buff and you look great...what would happen to it if you just sat on the couch and ate Lays potato chips for 3 months? Now think about your brain in that context...thus the reason for summer assignments...stay in good mental shape! Did you know that studies show that chewing gum while doing school work is helpful to the thinking process? Go buy a pack and get started! :) Good luck. You will be ahead of the others if you do!

Answer 4

The point of summer assignments is to help combat "summer brain drain."  Here are a few sites which try to explain that your teachers are not evil beasts...they are actually looking out for you:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AmericanFamily...

http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-famil...

http://parentingmethods.suite101.com/art...

http://news14.com/content/top_stories/59...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25482404/

Answer 5

Teachers believe it helps you when you return in the fall.  It reminds you that you're still a student during the summer months as well.  As a teacher, I disagree.  The teacher in our building who does it only uses it as a reason to weed out her A.P. course.  She doesn't want a full classroom because of the workload (I agree that it would be quite a bit) so anybody who didn't do the summer reading is asked to drop out of the class.  Teachers at the elementary level, however, are complaining that students really are forgetting their mathematics, for instance, and would do much better if they practiced over the summer.  But I haven't ever heard of a high school student forgetting how to read over the summer, and isn't that usually what the assignment is for all of those A.P. classes?  

Answer 6

so your brain doesn't fry then FREAK when school starts; to keep your brain stimulating on educational tasks