SCHOOL SUMMER PROGRAMS

Heading back to school after a nice relaxing summer break can be a total bummer. I used to dread this when I was a kid. You get like 90 days off, but then it's back to the old routine of homework, tests and teachers. YUCK! That never sounds like fun to me. Then again, I have to consider myself fairly lucky. I never really had any awful teachers in grade school or high school, and I certainly never attended any school summer programs. In all honesty, I felt bad for the kids who did. Now that would ruin a summer break.

As we all know, it's imperative to work hard in school. Every child should give it his/her all. The initial effort is well worth it. Getting good grades throughout the school year is the best way to avoid school summer programs. Now, I really shouldn't send the wrong message here, but I am trying to look at this from a child-like point of view. Kids don't like school, and if they claim the like it in the beginning, this feeling will most likely fade. That's why I know children want to avoid school summer programs if they can help it. However, there are times where extra work is needed. Take my buddy Maurice back in grade school for example. He clearly needed to put forth some extra effort. The guy barely paid attention all year long, he never turned in his assignments, and he was a standard class clown. I think these kids always end up in school summer programs. It's practically inevitable. Anyway, he did just that. Come to think of it, he had summer school for two years in a row. He always complained to me about how much it stuck and how he hated going. I didn't feel bad for him though. If the guy would have just put forth some effort and done the necessary work, he'd have avoided school summer programs. Getting your work done always pays off in the end.

One thing I noticed now days that my daughter is in school is that school summer programs are available to everyone. Well, at least in my neck of the woods. They are not for the entire summer; therefore children can still have loads of fun. These programs were started to help children retain what they learned the previous school year, but they are optional. So far I can't get her interested in them. Go figure!