By Hannah Park
Cramming a year’s worth of geometry into a few, action-packed “ALEKS” sessions. Conjugating, speaking and breathing Spanish to take a higher-level class. Doing crazy squat challenges, creating meticulous workout schedules and … writing essays in P.E.?!
These are just a few fun ways high school students can spend their summer vacation. I’ve tried all of them. And I’m sure that you have, too—or, at least, heard your friends talking about summer classes at Pacific Coast High School or Golden West College.
After my junior year, battling AP coursework like they were the dragons and Balrogs of legends past, I was tempted to spend my summer doing more of the same. After all, I could earn some college credits and GET AHEAD! (Those two words have sent many a intrepid student into an academic frenzy.)
But instead, I took the summer off. Why? Because, just like an athlete, I needed to pace myself. Academically, we’re running a marathon, not a 200-meter sprint.
I realized this my junior year. At the rate most of us are going, we’re headed straight for burnout. Scratch that … we’re stoking an oil fire! Poor sleep, looming AP Exams and an average of seven homework assignments per day pushed me to—and over—the breaking point. I had a crisis. I’ll gloss over the gory details, but I was waist-deep into a sea of panic and melancholy. It’s easy to watch a maelstrom on television, but it’s a lot different being sucked under.
So when my friends signed up for dual enrollment classes in June, I signed up for … nothing. It clawed at me, and I felt like I was missing out (academic FOMO?). But on the other side of summer vacation, I’m so glad that I took a break.
I learned how to solve a Rubik’s cube—my friend sent me this magic video. I went to Canada and rode a freaky air gondola up Grouse Mountain. And I visited some adorable Cavalier King Charles spaniel puppies on my quest for a pet (which is still ongoing, but I still find every puppy encounter a win-win situation)!
However, I’m not an advocate for “shutting the brain off” during vacations! I toured colleges and did volunteer work with kiddos. To combat learning loss, I read books (including the salty, ascerbic “Candide”), watched Crash Course AP Psychology videos on the treadmill and finished writing my science-fiction novel, “Flames Without Fire.” That project’s been on my queue since the pandemic!
As developmental psychologist Katherine Bono, Ph.D, told PBS, “[During summer vacation,] spend 1-2 hours per day on academic work, at the very most … [but] leave plenty of room for play, exploration, fun, and relationship building.”
In short, I’ve had one of the most productive, balanced summers of my life, even though I didn’t add a single grade to my transcript. Instead, I worked on my extracurriculars, took time off to explore the world and made positive gains in mental health that I didn’t know were possible a few months ago (meditation and prayer for the win). With a restored energy tank, I’m looking forward to my senior year: classes, clubs, the whole cupcake!
So, I truly recommend taking the summer off—or, at least, taking a step back. Although our summer vacation’s over with, try applying this concept of less work and more play during our upcoming breaks. Even on the Mondays we have off once in a while, provided our teachers don’t give us homework over breaks or vacation (luckily, many of them don’t!).
And if you’re still overwhelmed at the thought of another year of school, consider taking an easier schedule. Or, at least, classes that genuinely interest you! (Baron Banner, anyone?)
Again, we’re running the LONG run. We can’t just peak in high school! If we burn out now, how are we ever going to survive four years of college?
Take care of yourself: form wonderful habits for the future. Flip Olivia Rodrigo’s song on its head. Sometimes, taking “1” step back can help us take “3” steps forward!
