Summer Homework: Why or Why Not?

Well, it's almost time for summer vacation and all of the students are very excited. Too bad there's one thing that could ruin the summer for all of them: summer homework. Kids get it all the time. Just look at middle school: they won't let you out of the building without some math pages or book reports to do in their spare time. Some people - including the students - think summer homework is a bad idea. Still others disagree. They think summer homework is absolutely wonderful for the learning process. So why should you say yes? Or, why should you say no?

WHY YOU SHOULD SAY "YES"

Summer vacation lasts three months, and in that amount of time kids could forget the things they learned in the last school year. Of course, there'll still be some grime left on the slate. Kids won't get total amnesia. But what kind of teacher enjoys teaching review multiplication - for the second time in a row! Besides, just because there will be lots of fun things to do doesn't mean every second of the day is booked. What should a kid do in their spare time? Sit and stare at a wall for three hours? Not a chance! But if they have work to turn in on the first day back at school, they might as well get it over with.

WHY YOU SHOULD SAY "NO"
Let's face it: no kid can do schoolwork 24/7. Summer is a time to relax and escape from the stressful days of school. If even that is taken over by homework, a kid might not want to go back to school when the school year re-starts its cycle. This could affect how well a kid does in school, which can affect their grade. And nobody, whether it's the kid, their teacher, or their parents, want those bad grades on a kid's report card!

So, what do you think? Is summer homework a good idea? Or is it a bad one?